Gelida
by MissLindaLee
Summary: Things heat up . . . and cool down . . . . Tenth story in Angelica Corusca. (Complete)
1. Chapter 1

"So, this is it?" Linda asked as she looked around the dark dank cave, her hearing focused as she listened to the sound of dripping water mingled with the hundreds of tiny heartbeats of the bats that slept in the crevasses and hideaways. 

"Yeah," Dick said. "This is it."

Linda smiled as she spotted a sleek, familiar black car. She walked over to it, admiring it. "The Batmobile?"

"Yep."

Linda examined it. "You ever get to drive it?"

Dick snorted. "Bruce would kill me." He eyed her as she slowly smiled. "And don't be getting any ideas."

"What?" Linda asked.

"Don't 'what?' me, Miss-I'll-Hotwire-My-Father's-Truck," Dick replied.

"That was Jimmy," Linda protested. "And we returned it in one piece."

Dick smiled, crossing his arms, leaning over. "This thing has long-range missiles. You honestly think I'm dumb enough to let you con me into letting you to get behind the wheel?" Linda pouted. "That look might work with Jimmy, but it doesn't with me; I don't think you're that cute." Linda narrowed her eyes and stuck out her tongue before flouncing off to explore the rest of the area. She found Bruce's stash of costumes and weapons, and she was immediately entranced.

Dick shook his head, smiling, walking over to the computer and sitting down in the large chair. Bruce was going to be down in a few minutes, and Dick wanted to make sure everything was ready for him.

"Look at me!"

Dick swiveled around, and nearly fell out of his chair. Linda was standing as tall and proud as she could – wearing one of Bruce's many spare capes and cowls. She grinned at her friend.

"Oh . . . my . . . lord," Dick said slowly, trying to figure out if his friend was mentally gone. "Uh . . . Linda . . . ."

"I'm not Linda," she said in a deep voice, glaring, hands on hips. "I'm Bruce." She started stomping around, as mean as possible. "I'm a grumpy guy who dresses up in a batsuit every night, and I grumble and grunt at everything."

"You realize if he catches you like that you're dead," Dick replied. He tried to keep a straight face, but he soon found himself doubled over, laughing. He cared about Bruce, but Linda's imitation – along with the five sizes too big costume on her head, the cape trailing behind her – made even him crack.

Linda whipped the cape around her in perfect imitation of Batman, until only her eyes were visible. "Like a creature of the night," she said, her voice low, "I am Batman!"

"You need to pause a bit more in between your words," a low voice said from above and to her right. "Adds a bit of drama." Dick and Linda both looked up and saw the silhouette of a tall man standing at the top of the stairs leading to the mansion. The teens froze in their spots as Bruce descended the stairs and walked over to Linda, staring right into her eyes. "Are we having fun?"

Linda put on her best smile as she removed the cowl and cape. "Actually, yeah."

Bruce had to grit his teeth to keep from getting mad at her, even though he knew he would have been justified in his actions; he simply pointed to where his spare costumes hung. "Please put it back so we can get to work."

"Okay," Linda replied, walking away.

Bruce turned around and saw Dick sitting, unsure what he should do. "You okay?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," Dick answered softly. "We should have stayed upstairs."

"No, Alfred told me you had his permission," Bruce replied. "I'm not mad. I'm just a tad . . . unsettled at seeing someone else in my costume."

"I kept her away from the Batmobile," Dick added. "She wanted to go driving."

"Well, seeing how she still doesn't have a license," Bruce replied, "I appreciate that. Wouldn't even know how to explain that to the Kents."

"I'm getting my license soon," Linda said as she came back over. "Clark said he'd teach me."

"Because he's the only one who can survive a car crash with you?" Bruce asked, smirking.

"No, because Mom gave me a lesson," Linda replied, "and she told me to keep going faster." She shrugged. "For some reason, Dad didn't like me jumping the truck in the fields." She paused. "The cows didn't like it much either."

Bruce and Dick shared a look; hearing what Linda said about Martha sounded about as plausible as Jonathan trusting any boy who even contemplated wanting to bed his daughter. They both decided to just let it go . . . they had other business to attend to. "Is everything set up?" Bruce asked Dick.

"Yeah," Dick replied, getting out of the chair. "Ready to go."

"Thanks," Bruce said as he sat down. "Linda, you ready?"

Linda came over. "Ready." She pulled out a piece of folded paper and handed it to Bruce. "Here."

Bruce unfolded the piece of paper and stared at the unusual pencil sketch. He knew the drawing was of two Kryptonian symbols, but as smart as he was he knew he couldn't decipher them without Clark or Linda's help – not that he would ever admit that. He stared at them, trying to appear deep in concentration, hoping Linda wouldn't pick up on his cluelessness, waiting for her to make the next move

"They're the Kryptonian symbols for 'earth' and 'water,'" Linda explained, totally oblivious to Bruce's ploy. "Or 'home' and 'transference.' Not sure which."

"You mind filling us in on what's going on?" Bruce asked. "Find something on what these symbols mean?"

"Not really," Linda replied. "I still don't know their purpose or which words the symbols represent, but I have a theory. Did some research and found out that here on Earth there are four major elements: earth, fire, air, and water."

"That's not surprising," Bruce said. "Many cultures identify those four elements; they're of great significance."

"Yeah, but even Krypton had those same four elements in its culture; Rok-Var taught me that."

"So, what's your theory?" Bruce asked.

"Not much of one," Linda replied. "I just believe that two pieces are missing in this puzzle, and somehow Clark and I are connected to it, but I can't be sure until those two pieces are found."

"And you want us to help you locate them?" Bruce asked.

"Well, I can't go to my friends," Linda replied. "And I'm still kinda banned from going to Metropolis, so I can't get Jimmy to help me." She looked serious. "Bruce, I'm really sorry about what I did."

Bruce sighed. "Linda, I already told you I'm not mad at you."

"Yeah right," Linda replied. "I only tried to kill you."

"Actually, your id tried to kill me," Bruce corrected. "That wasn't you, Linda, so there's no need to apologize. Next time you do, I'm putting you through the Gauntlet."

"The Gauntlet?" Linda asked.

"You don't want to know what it is, believe me," Dick replied. "I've been through it; it's a killer."

"What did you do?" Linda asked.

"Something I shouldn't have," Dick replied. "I didn't listen to Bruce." Linda raised an eyebrow, and Dick blushed. "I, uh . . . didn't call when I went to a coffeehouse with Barbara Gordon. I got home three hours late; Bruce and Alfred were waiting for me."

"Let me guess," Linda said, "they gave you a lecture?"

"And a week of grounding, and Bruce made me run the Gauntlet every night," Dick replied, blushing. "Before doing my homework."

"And don't forget what else, Dick," Bruce spoke up as he typed on the keyboard, putting information into the computer. Dick blushed a deeper red.

"What else?" Linda asked, curious.

"I, um . . . I, uh," Dick said slowly, embarrassed.

"I spanked him," Bruce finished.

"For being three hours late?" Linda asked, frowning a little at Bruce. "A little extreme, don't you think, Bruce?"

Bruce turned around, glaring at Linda. "Linda, this isn't Smallville or Metropolis; this is Gotham, where maniacs aren't afraid of hurting and killing people in broad daylight as well as when it's after dark. Dick didn't call to say where he was going to be, and he came home three hours after school let out – after dark; I had no idea where he was. I have a strong feeling your father would have done the same thing to you if you were in Dick's place. You want my help, fine, but don't come into my home and disrespect me by telling me how to raise Dick." He turned around and went back to his work.

Linda looked like she was getting ready to lay into Bruce with a snappy comeback, but a hand clamped down on her shoulder. She turned and saw Dick shaking his head at her. Don't tell me you think what he did was right, Dick.

Linda, I did it on purpose, Dick replied.

Linda was shocked. What? Why?

Because I wanted to see what he'd do, okay? Linda was speechless. He spanked me, grounded me, and gave me the Gauntlet for disappearing . . . and he spanked again when he found out I did it on purpose to see what he'd do.

Linda was near tears. Did it hurt?

Yeah, it hurt . . . but it kinda felt good too . . . .

Linda tilted her head, a little confused, but she knew where Dick was coming from. She remembered when she had been spanked; it hurt, but after a while it felt good knowing that there was someone – multiple someones - who loved her that much. Still, she wasn't sure about Bruce, all things considered. You know, I don't really think Bruce could make it count.

Dick reflexively laughed out loud for a split second before covering his mouth; he and Linda looked towards Bruce, wide eyed and a little scared. Bruce didn't turn around as he continued typing, even though he knew what they had been up to, knowing Dick's laugh was most likely directed at him; he just let the two teens stew for a few moments.

"Why don't you two take a trip through the Gauntlet?" he said after a long bit of silence, never stopping his work or turning around. "This is going to take a few minutes." Even though he had asked the teens, Dick and Linda knew he had really ordered them – and they would be wise to heed his order.

"Come on, Linda," Dick replied, tugging Linda away towards a path leading deeper into the caves. "Let's get this over with."

"And no powers," Bruce added as the teenagers disappeared.

"Tighta," Linda muttered.

"I heard that," Bruce shouted.

"Good!" Linda retorted. She walked with Dick down the dark path. "You know sometimes I just want to take his neck and throttle him."

"I know the feeling," Dick said. He stopped and faced his friend. "And Linda?"

"Yeah?" Linda asked.

"Bruce can - and did - make it count," Dick replied seriously, arms folded. "And I would appreciate it if you don't make any remarks about that, okay?" He glanced to his side, muttering. "The whole thing is weird enough as it is." He sighed. "Come on." He led Linda over to a large hollowed-out space. Linda glanced up and sucked her breath in.

"Whoa," she whispered.

"Linda, Kent," Dick replied. "Welcome to the Gauntlet."

-

It was almost thirty minutes before Dick and Linda finished the Gauntlet. Dick was drenched in sweat and panting; Linda wasn't sweating in the least, but she looked a bit winded from the experience. The two made their way back to the computer, where Bruce was still sitting, typing.

"Have fun, you two?" he asked without turning around.

"Oh, it was a blast," Linda replied sarcastically. "Thank you so much."

"Anytime," Bruce said, trying not to grin. He was silent for a moment. "I found one of the symbols - " Linda blurred over to Bruce's side "- Linda." He paused before comprehending what had just happened, and he frowned, hating being caught off guard. "Please don't do that."

"What did you find?" Linda asked, ignoring him.

Bruce sighed and brought up a screen on his computer. It was a photo of a sheet of ancient parchment paper. Linda squinted a little, and she could make out a bunch of Kryptonian symbols on it, including the Earth/Home symbol. Her eyes went wide.

"Whoa," Linda said. "Where is it?"

"Right now, it's being sold on eBay," Bruce added, bringing up the auction page for the parchment paper. "For forty thousand dollars; a private business owner is selling it from Mexico. He claims to have found it near Teotihuacan."

Linda raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked. Bruce nodded. "Bruce, you have to bid on it; I don't have an account with them."

"Linda, that's a five figure amount," Bruce replied.

"I don't care if it were a five hundred figure amount," Linda said. "If that parchment paper can help Clark and me figure out what's going on with all these symbols, then I need it. Besides, don't you think that anything with Kryptonian symbols on it technically belongs to Clark and me, since we are the only Kryptonians here?" She looked down at him, pleading to him with her eyes. "Bruce, I'm begging you, please. I'll pay you back. Please."

Bruce would have said something snarky, but he knew how important this was to Linda, and he wasn't that cold-hearted. He nodded and started typing on the computer for a few minutes. "Okay," he said. "I put in a bid of forty five thousand dollars." Dick had joined them by that time, and the three of them stared at the screen intently. After a few moments the screen refreshed – and the bidding had increased. Bruce muttered.

"What?" Linda asked.

"Bid's been upped," Bruce replied. "Highest bidder right now is someone named 'fallenmaster.'"

"It's going to be over in less than a minute," Linda said, bouncing a little on her feet. "Bid again." Bruce kept quiet when he heard her ordering him, but he quickly placed another bid. The page refreshed, and the next page showed the auction had closed . . . and Bruce had won. Linda squealed and hugged Bruce tightly. "Thank you!"

Bruce stiffened a bit, trying not to wheeze. He was relieved when she let go before he lost consciousness. He caught his breath and watched as she squealed and hugged Dick, nearly bowling the other teen over. Bruce couldn't help but be a little amused as Linda started dancing around, laughing. She turned back to Bruce, giggling – and a blast of chilled air shot out of her mouth; it struck Bruce's chair, instantly covering it in thin layer of ice. Bruce slipped and fell out, and Linda immediately clapped a hand over her mouth as she stood, wide-eyed. Dick's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he stared.

Bruce sat on the floor, a little stunned, then he slowly glanced up at his chair. Realization hit him when he saw his chair covered in a thin layer of ice. He let out a frustrated sigh. "Great," he said. "Superbreath."

(End of Chapter 1)


	2. Chapter 2

- 

Linda stared wide-eyed at what she did, tears in her eyes, knowing that Bruce was mad at her. She slowly lowered her hand. "Bruce, I'm sorry," she whispered. "I -" She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as another blast of cold air shot from her mouth, hitting the floor, barely missing Bruce.

"Hey!" Bruce shouted, scrambling out of the way, taking cover behind the frozen chair.

Linda clamped her hand back over her mouth. She shut her eyes, squeezing tears down her cheeks. Bruce, I'm sorry. She blurred out of the caves, leaving Bruce and Dick alone.

"Linda, wait!" Dick shouted. Nothing. The teen turned back to Bruce, glaring at the businessman. "Why did you get mad at her? She didn't do it on purpose!"

"I am not mad at her, Dick," Bruce said as he got to his feet. "I know she didn't mean to do that; she just surprised me."

"Well, you could have worked on your reaction better," Dick replied. He started to storm out, but Bruce stopped him.

"You're not walking away from me like that," Bruce said. Dick didn't say anything, and Bruce sighed. "Dick, I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you should apologize to," Dick replied curtly before jerking free of Bruce's grip and storming up the stairs to the mansion.

Bruce sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. He was torn between going after Dick and calling the Kents.

"Is everything alright, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked as he came down the stairs. "Master Dick seemed a little agitated." He noticed Linda was missing. "Did Miss Linda leave already?" Bruce moved out of the way, letting Alfred see the frozen chair; the butler immediately realized what had happened. "Ah. That still doesn't explain why Master Dick became angry and stormed to his room."

"I reacted . . . badly," Bruce replied. "And Dick felt I was too harsh."

"Were you?" Alfred asked.

"I didn't mean to be," Bruce answered.

"Well, intent isn't always the important factor, sir," Alfred said. "Execution is what is seen – and remembered." He put a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "Sir, go talk to Master Dick. I'll inform the Kents of Linda's predicament." Bruce nodded and headed up the stairs. Alfred reached for the built-in phone on the computer and dialed the Kents' number.

-

Jonathan softly whistled an old tune as he worked on the tractor in the drive. He was in the middle of the chorus when he saw a streak blur past him and into the barn. The farmer stopped whistling and working as he stood tall; he furrowed his eyebrows, wondering why his daughter hadn't stopped to tell him what had gone on with Bruce and Dick. He was headed toward the barn when Martha came out of the house and hurried over to him, a worried expression on her face.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Jonathan asked.

"Alfred just called," she said. "Linda's superbreath emerged while she was in the batcave. She accidentally froze Bruce's chair and nearly froze Bruce; she panicked and bolted; Bruce has no idea where she is."

Jonathan glanced over at the barn. "I think I know where she is." He and Martha headed into the barn. They looked around and didn't see Linda anywhere on the ground floor, so they climbed the stairs to the loft. The two stopped short when they saw Linda on the couch, her legs curled up under her, her head resting on her knees, crying softly.

"Linda, honey?" Martha asked softly. "Are you okay?"

"I didn't mean it," Linda whispered. She looked up, her eyes red from crying and tear streaks on her cheeks. "Honest; it was an accident."

"Linda, no one's mad at you," Jonathan said as he and Martha came over and sat on both sides of their daughter.

"Bruce is," Linda replied. "He got mad at me and yelled at me."

"No, he's not," Martha replied. "He was just startled, that's all."

"Then why did he get angry?" Linda asked.

"Linda, you know how Bruce can be," Jonathan said. "True, he needs to work on his manners, but he didn't mean to get upset." He tilted her chin up with his finger. "Do you understand? No one is mad at you." Linda slowly nodded, and Jonathan dotted her tears away and kissed her forehead, smiling. "Now, I was told that you have your peppermint breath. Is that rumor true?"

Linda smiled at her father's humor. "I froze Bruce's chair," she replied sheepishly.

Jonathan chuckled. "Well, let's say we go work on getting this new power under control, okay? And maybe you can fill us in on what happened at Bruce's." Linda nodded, and the three Kents headed down the stairs.

-

Claire Selton, a fiery red-headed teenage girl, walked slowly down Main Street, one hand stuffed into the pocket of her winter coat. Her free hand held a tall Styrofoam cup of coffee, and she slowly sipped it, not noticing how hot it was. She smiled a little, loving the taste of the coffee mingled in with the warm milk and chocolate. She liked the winter weekends Smallville offered.

"Claire!"

Claire looked across the street and saw her mother waving to her from near Fordman's. "Yeah, Mom?" she shouted back.

"I'm going to get some new shoes!" Mrs. Selton replied. "You want a new pair?"

"Sure!" Claire answered. She looked both ways before sprinting across the street to join to her mother, and the two girls headed toward the entrance to the store. They were near the front door, when the door suddenly opened in front of Clarie. Startled, she jumped back, spilling her coffee on her front. She yelped out loud – and then the mannequins in the front display window suddenly burst into flames. People started shouting and running out of the department store as the flames grew large, burning everything they touched.

"Someone call the fire department!" a person shouted

From across the street Clarie stood with her mother as they watched the fire consume the front display window. The red-head hugged herself as tears filled her eyes. "I'm sorry, she whispered. "I didn't mean to."

"I know you didn't, sweetie," Mrs. Selton whispered back, hugging her daughter. While everyone stared at the growing flames Claire and her mother quietly and discreetly made their way out of the crowd to where their car was parked.

-

"Alright, sweetie," Jonathan said. He and Martha stood next to Linda on the far side of the Kent property. A scarecrow was propped up near the fence. "Here we go."

"So, what are we doing?" Linda asked.

"First, we're going to figure out how this power got turned on," Jonathan said. "Then we'll work on learning how to control it."

"Like heat vision?" Linda asked.

"Exactly," Martha answered. "Only with this one, you don't have to worry about setting anything on fire."

"Yeah, you just gotta worry about giving something frostbite," Jonathan replied, grinning. Linda looked worried, and Jonathan smiled warmly. "Just kidding, Linda." He put a hand on Linda's shoulder. "Okay, honey, what was going on when your superbreath kicked in?"

"Bruce had just located the Kryptonian 'Earth' symbol," Linda answered. "It was on a piece of parchment paper. A guy from Mexico was selling it on eBay; he said he found it near Teotihuacan. Bruce bought it for me after I said I'd pay him back."

"How much?" Jonathan asked.

"Fifty thousand dollars," Linda answered.

"For a piece of parchment paper?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah, but I can pay for it," Linda replied quickly.

"Honey, we know," Jonathan said. "We just want you to be careful."

"I am," Linda replied. "I didn't go to Jimmy or my friends; I went to Bruce, because no one would question him if he were to buy weird ancient artifacts." She looked worried. "Are you mad at me for doing this?"

"No, of course not," Martha said. "Linda, honey, we understand that this is important to you. We just want you to be careful."

"I'll be careful," Linda replied, trying not to sound frustrated. "I promise." Suddenly, her hearing picked up the sounds of sirens, and she turned her head, frowning.

"Linda, what's wrong?" Jonathan asked, noticing his daughter's expression.

Linda listened to the emergency radio band. "There's a fire at Fordman's." She switched from her superhearing to focusing her telescopic vision, zooming in on the fiery department store; she switched to X-ray vision, scanning the building. Her eyes went wide when she saw the man in the storage room. "Mr. Heany's trapped! I gotta help him."

"Where are the fire trucks?" Jonathan asked.

"They're on their way, but they're not close enough," Linda replied. "He's choking on smoke. If he can't get out soon . . . ."

Jonathan glanced at Martha, and she nodded. The farmer sighed reluctantly before looking back at his daughter. "Go, but be careful, please."

"I will," Linda replied. She blurred off, heading toward town at full speed, leaving her parents in the field as they said a silent prayer for their daughter.

-

Curt Heaney fell to the ground, coughing and gasping as thick black smoke filled the storage room – and his lungs. He fought to not lose consciousness as he worried about his wife and son. He felt his life slowly leaving him as he slipped into unconsciousness.

The storage room door suddenly flew inward, slamming into the far wall and falling to the floor. Flames billowed into the storage room, but Linda simply walked in, not bothered by the flames, smoke, or intense heat; the only damage to her was the flames singing the fabrics. The young girl spotted Heaney on the floor, unconscious. She hurried to him and picked him up. Then she surrounded Heaney and herself in a telekinetic bubble, shielding them from the flames as she hurried out of the building into the back alley. She dropped the 'bubble' as she lay Heaney on the ground; she could hear his breathing and heartbeat, so she just waited. Heaney slowly opened his eyes for a brief moment before he lost consciousness again. Satisfied he would be okay, Linda slowly got to her feet and blurred back into the building.

The flames burned everything in their paths, and Linda knew she had to do something to stop it. She knew her superbreath could put the fire out before it did any real damage, but she didn't know how to control it. She closed her eyes and tensed, clenching her fists tightly, trying to will herself to breathe ice from her mouth. Her body shook for what seemed like an eternity then convulsed as she felt her insides grow cold. All of a sudden cold air blasted from her mouth, hitting the flames and extinguishing them. Linda turned her head to get all the flames, and soon the entire fire was out; all that was left was charred drenched merchandise, floors, and ceiling. Linda heard sounds behind her as people headed into the building. In the blink of an eye, she was gone, blurring out of the building, using the back alley just as a team of firefighters came in. They were carrying hoses, ready to put out the fire . . . then they stopped short when they realized there was no fire to put out. They looked around at the blackened wet mess, not sure what to think

Outside, Heaney stirred as Pete and a deputy hurried into the alley. They saw the store manager and ran over to him, kneeling beside him.

"You okay?" Pete asked as Heaney slowly sat up, catching his breath.

"Just . . . dizzy," Heaney gasped softly.

"How did you get out?" the deputy asked.

Heaney rubbed his head. "An . . . angel," he said slowly. "She . . . she walked through the flames . . . and carried me out."

Pete raised an eyebrow as he looked at his deputy, then he smiled as they helped Heaney to his feet. "Come on, sir," he said. "Let's get you to the paramedics." The two officers supported Heaney as they slowly walked down the alley.

(End of Chapter 2)


	3. Chapter 3

- 

"So, everything went okay?" Martha asked as she stood in Linda's room, holding up Linda's shirt and pants. They were singed and sooty and damp . . . way beyond repair. She sighed and tossed the clothing into Linda's waste basket. Linda walked out of the bathroom, swathed in a towel. Martha glanced over and saw the bright pink splotches dotted with tiny blisters on her daughter's arms and face, and her eyes widened.

"Linda, honey, what happened?" she asked, hurrying over to her daughter. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mom," Linda replied. Martha gingerly touched one of the splotches and Linda winced, hissing softly. "Okay, that hurt a little."

Martha's voice was low and carried an edge. "Why didn't you say anything about these earlier? Like while you were getting undressed?"

"They didn't hurt then," Linda replied sheepishly. She glanced at her arms, and the blisters were starting to disappear. "And they're going away, see?"

"That's not the point, young lady," Martha said. "You know you're supposed to let us know when you're hurt so we can help you." Linda opened her mouth, but Martha stopped her. "You have two options. First, you can go downstairs and tell your father about your injuries, because I'm sure he'll be happy to know . . . and you can tell him that you also intended to keep it a secret from us."

"And what's the other option?" Linda asked.

"Your father can come up here and talk with you," Martha replied. "And I'll tell him why he'll have to come up in the first place."

"Can I get dressed first?" Linda asked softly.

Martha nodded. "And then?"

Linda sighed in defeat, knowing which option would be less painful. "I'll come downstairs."

Martha nodded. "Good choice. I'll see you in a few minutes." She left Linda's room, closing the door behind her.

Linda sighed and walked over to her dresser. She pulled out some skivvies, a pair of jeans, and the Chaparrals sweatshirt Jimmy had given her, and she got dressed in a matter of seconds. She grabbed her comb and headed down the stairs, combing the tangles from her hair. She stopped at the foot of the stairs when she saw Jonathan sitting at the island, drinking from his cow mug; Linda couldn't read the expression on his face, and she wasn't sure if she should be relieved . . . or worried. She looked around for Martha, and saw her at the table, working.

"Take a seat, Linda," Jonathan said softly.

Linda winced a little, but she took in a deep breath and slowly walked over, sitting taking the chair across the island from her father. She glanced uneasily at him as he stared back at her; she was tempted to read his mind, find out what he was thinking, but she wasn't that stupid.

Jonathan put his mug down. "Your mother told me you wanted to talk to me," he said.

Linda was tempted to make up something, but she was already in enough trouble. She sighed. "I got burned a little while at Fordman's," she said slowly. She carefully rolled up her sleeves. The blisters were gone, but bright pink still blotted her arms. Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows and got to his feet, walking over and carefully examining his daughter's arms.

"Are you okay?" Jonathan asked.

"I'm fine," Linda replied. "They sting a little, but they're going away. The blisters are already gone."

"Blisters?" Jonathan asked. He frowned. "Linda, when did the blisters show up?"

Linda hesitated. "Before I took my shower," she replied.

"And when were you going to tell us?" Jonathan asked. "Or were you just going to keep it from us?" Linda looked a little sheepish, and Jonathan pursed his lips, letting out a frustrated sigh. "How many times have we talked about keeping any injuries a secret from us?"

"This year or last year?" Linda asked.

"Linda," Jonathan warned, frowning.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't say anything," Linda replied. "But they were even starting to clear up as I was showering." She glanced at her arms; the pink blotchiness was slowly fading. "See? I'm fine."

"If you were really fine," Jonathan replied, "then you wouldn't have blisters and blotches all over your arms." Linda opened her mouth, but Jonathan stopped her. "Linda, you're a bright girl, and this isn't complicated, so I don't know why you don't seem to grasp the concept that we care about what happens to you."

Linda sighed. "I do," she said. "It's hard for me to remember that. I'm trying, I really am. It's just that sometimes I feel like I'm still on Argo City . . . and it's hard to forget everything that happened – and what Zor-El taught me."

Jonathan sighed and put an arm around his daughter. "Linda, I know it's hard sometimes. I know that fifteen years of your life can't be erased in a few months, but I thought we were making progress."

Linda started shrinking a little. "I thought so too," she replied quietly. "I'm sorry."

"I know," Jonathan said. He saw tears well up in his daughter's eyes. "Hey, hey, none of that, sweetie." He held his daughter close to him as Martha came over and put a hand on Linda's back. "Look, we're not mad, Linda. We just want to you to understand how important you are to us . . . and we'll tell you that as many times as we need to."

Linda snuggled close to her father, loving the feel and smell of the flannel he wore. "So, am I in trouble?"

Jonathan looked up at Martha, and she shrugged. Jonathan took a deep breath, looking back down at his daughter. "No," he said, stroking her hair with his hand. "You're not in trouble. Just please don't forget to tell us if you're hurt, okay?" Linda nodded, and Jonathan smiled and leaned over, kissing her forehead. Someone knocked on the kitchen door, and Martha went to answer it. Pete was standing on the other side.

"Hi, Pete," Martha said, standing aside. "Please come in."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kent," Pete said, coming inside the house. He spotted Jonathan and Linda around the island. "Hi, Mr. Kent. Hey, E.T. . . . or maybe I should call you 'Angel Girl' from now on."

Jonathan tilted his head. "And why would you want to do that?" he asked.

"Well, that's what saved Curt Heaney," Pete said. "At least, that's what he said."

Jonathan looked at Linda, frowning. "Someone saw you?" he asked.

"No one believes him, Mr. Kent," Pete reassured the farmer. "He was just coming to when my deputy and I found him."

"But he saw her," Jonathan replied. "What if he asks questions?"

"Jonathan a lot of people who get saved claim to have seen an angel," Martha replied.

"And Linda does look like an angel," Pete added. "Trust me, no one believes him."

"How is he?" Linda asked.

"He's going to be just fine," Pete replied. "Paramedics said he had a little smoke inhalation, but he's going to be just fine." Linda and Martha smiled, and despite his worry for his daughter, Jonathan couldn't help but feel very proud. He put a hand on Linda's shoulder and smiled down at her. "So, how did you do it, Linda?"

"Do what?" Linda asked.

"Put the fire out," Pete asked. "When the firefighters came in, the fire was already put out. Use the sprinklers?"

"Actually, I used my superbreath," Linda replied. "It emerged this morning."

"Cool," Pete replied, smiling.

"Did you figure out how was what triggering it?" Martha asked.

Linda shrugged. "I thought about it while I was taking a shower. When it first happened, I was with Bruce, and he had just gotten me that parchment paper."

"Parchment paper?" Pete asked.

"We'll fill you in later," Jonathan replied. He looked back at Linda. "Go on, sweetie."

"Well, when I realized that Bruce had won me the parchment," Linda said, "a piece of my heritage, I felt . . . not just happy but grateful, and that was when it first happened. I mean, I know Krypton wasn't a very nice place, but I'm still a Kryptonian, and there's something out there that's connected to Krypton – and to Clark and me. I don't know what it is, but I know I can't stop until we know what it is." She looked a little worried. "Is that wrong?"

Martha shook her head. "No, Linda, it isn't."

Linda glanced at Jonathan. "Daddy?"

Jonathan took a deep breath. "It's not wrong, sweetie," he said. He smiled, letting her know he wasn't upset. "So, how did you feel when you were in the fire?"

"Well, when I saved Mr. Heaney," Linda said, "I felt a little . . . proud that I did it. I mean, putting out the fire . . . I did that. I saved Mr. Heaney, and kept his store from burning down. That was me doing that, and I was the only one around who could do such a good thing – and without Clark's help." She shrugged. "Does that make sense?"

"It makes perfect sense," Martha replied. "Linda, your powers are connected to your emotions as well as the sun. When you first came here your body absorbed all the solar energy necessary to give you your powers, but they didn't kick in until you were under some kind of emotional stress. Your strength kicked in from when you were in pain from getting run over by Uncle Jesse, and your speed came in when you were happy about being allowed to run for the first time."

"And then your x-ray vision kicked in when you started talking about stuff you'd discovered," Pete replied.

"I was fascinated with the world," Linda replied, remembering. "And my heat vision came in when I was scared."

"Then you were anxious and excited about your birthday party," Jonathan added. "And that's when your hearing kicked in."

"So, what caused my superbreath to kick in?" Linda asked.

"I'd say there's a strong possibility that this power has been triggered every time you've become elated," Martha replied.

"And if that's the case," Jonathan replied, "now that we know what's causing it, we can work on getting it under control."

"And surprise Clark when he comes to teach me how to drive," Linda replied.

"You're still going to let her learn how to drive after the last time?" Pete asked. He had heard about her little fiasco in the field with the truck.

"That's why Clark will be teaching her," Jonathan replied, giving Martha a look as his wife tried not to grin. He glanced at Linda. "And you will be driving slower. No more jumping in the truck. This isn't the Dukes of Hazzard."

"The what?" Linda asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Old television show," Martha replied. "Your father loved it growing up. Personally, I thought the entire thing was stupid, and the actors were horrible, especially the blond one."

"Hey," Jonathan said, feeling a little insulted. "He was the best part of the show. He was my hero."

"The only reason you liked him was that he always got to drive that horrible orange car," Martha replied.

"So?" Jonathan asked. "It was a cool car. And you liked it too, admit it."

"I most certainly did not," Martha replied.

"You liked Bo," Jonathan said. "You told me you had a crush on him when you were younger."

"I had taste."

"You told Linda to drive exactly like Bo and Luke did in the show," Jonathan retorted.

"Um, excuse me?" Linda asked meekly, raising her hand. Both parents stopped and looked at their daughter.

"Yes, Linda?" Martha asked.

"I don't mean to change the subject," Linda replied, "but can I ask a question?"

"Sure," Jonathan replied. "What's on your mind?"

"How did Clark's superbreath emerge?" Linda asked.

"Well, he was a seventeen when it happened," Jonathan answered. "I was getting dressed to start the chores when I heard him screaming, like something was attacking him, and calling for us. Martha and I hurried to his room, and when I opened the door and we ran in we slipped on something and fell to the floor."

"What happened?" Linda asked.

"Clark's floor was covered in a thin layer of ice," Jonathan replied.

"And everything else was too," Martha added wryly.

"What about Clark?" Linda asked.

"Well, he was sitting up in bed," Jonathan replied. "Needless to say, he was as shocked as we were."

"For only a moment," Martha continued. "When he saw us on the floor, he tried to come over and help us, but he slipped and fell down too. Thankfully, he didn't fall through the floor."

Linda giggled, imagining the Clark and her parents slipping and sliding. "So, what happened?" she asked. She suddenly giggled again as a mental image came to mind. "Was it like the heat vision?"

"No, no, no," Jonathan replied quickly, looking a little embarrassed. Pete snorted, and Martha tried not to smile. "He just had a bad dream where he didn't have his powers, and something was chasing him – and he called out to us, because it caught him."

Linda fell quiet, her smile replaced with a somber expression. She knew what it was like to have those kind of dreams; she had had many of them in the past, only the thing chasing her was Zor-El, and he always caught her . . . and hurt her.

Jonathan saw Linda's somber expression. "Honey, it's okay," he said. "We were all fine; we even managed to help Clark get his power under control." He smiled and put an arm around Linda. "Just like we'll help you get yours under control too." He kissed her forehead. "Now, let's say we go out and work on the scarecrow?"

"Actually, why don't you two go out instead?" Martha asked. "I'll get lunch started – along with some of my special hot cocoa."

"Okay, sweetheart," Jonathan replied.

Martha turned to Pete. "You want to stay for lunch?"

"Wish I could," Pete replied, "but I got some work to take care of." He nodded politely. "Tell Clark I said hi." He headed out of the house to his car.

"Ready, Linda?" Jonathan asked. Linda nodded. The two headed for the coat rack and grabbed their coats and gloves. They put them on and headed out into the wintry world as Martha started preparing lunch.

(End of Chapter 3)


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

The three Kents were sitting around the kitchen table, eating lunch as Krypto and Streaky lounged out underneath. Linda had managed to get her superbreath under some level of control, even though she was nowhere near mastering it. Still, she felt more comfortable about the whole thing as she chowed on her mother's special BLT – with extra B and T. She had just taken a huge bite and was chewing when Krypto suddenly scurried out from under the table and headed for the door, barking. Linda focused her sight through the wall and saw Clark climbing out of his dark red Taurus. Grinning, she blurred from her seat and hurried out the kitchen door, tackling her cousin as he climbed the porch stairs. The two fell to the ground, Clark landing on his back, Linda on top of him.

"Hi," Linda replied cheerfully.

"Hey, yourself," Clark said, smiling. "What's with the jubilant greeting?"

"You're teaching me to drive," Linda replied.

"And I hear the world screaming in fear already," Clark said. Linda playfully smacked him. "Hey, no fair!" The two started wrestling, but after only a few seconds Clark managed to pin Linda under him. "Give?"

"Give," Linda answered, grinning.

Clark grinned and got to his feet, then he helped Linda up, and the two headed into the house, where Martha and Jonathan were standing, smiling. They greeted their son with hugs and hellos, then Clark greeted Krypto as he waited patiently near their feet, tail thumping. He turned to see Streaky slink out from under the table and make her way over to the reporter, brushing his legs before pawing Krypto's nose and skittering away into the living room. Krypto hurried after her, leaving the four Kents in the kitchen. They made their way over to the table and sat down, eating.

"So, has the insurance been paid up on the truck?" Clark asked as he made his own BLT.

"Hey, I'm not a bad driver," Linda protested.

"Dad told me about the field incident," Clark replied. He glanced at Martha. "And that you were the instigator."

"Linda was doing a very good job of dodging the cows," Martha replied.

"Linda was doing a very good job of scaring the cows," Jonathan pointed out. "And you weren't helping the situation." He turned to his son. "The insurance has been paid up, and I even checked the airbags and the brakes."

"You two are a riot, you know that?" Martha asked, rolling her eyes.

"Can we get started now?" Linda asked. "Jimmy's going to be here in a couple of hours, and I want to show him how good I am." Jimmy was going to be spending the rest of the weekend with the Kents to start helping Martha set up her produce website.

"First rule of driving, Linda," Jonathan said. "No showing off."

"Okay, okay," Linda replied. "Can we go now?"

Jonathan glanced at Clark, and his son shrugged. The farmer smiled at Linda. "Sure."

Linda grinned. "Thanks, Daddy." She got up from her chair and grabbed Clark's arm, tugging him from his chair. "Come on, Clark." She pulled Clark out of the kitchen door, grabbing the truck keys from the key rack along the way. Jonathan sighed and shook his head.

"I'm not sure I feel comfortable about this," Jonathan said.

"Honey, Linda needs to learn to drive," Martha replied. "Aside from the personal freedom, she can help out more around the farm."

"But she's acting like a speed demon," Jonathan replied.

"So did Clark when you first taught him how to drive," Martha said. "And he turned out to be a good driver."

Jonathan didn't look convinced, but he stayed quiet as he sipped from his mug, silently praying that his truck – and more importantly his children – returned in one piece.

* * *

The truck engine purred wonderfully as Linda sat behind the wheel, bouncing slightly as she gripped the steering wheel. Clark sat beside her, and he watched his cousin. He didn't mind teaching her how to drive, but he knew he would have to set a few rules about her driving with him. "Linda, first thing you want to do is -"

Linda shifted the truck into drive and hit the gas pedal. The truck took off, gravel flying everywhere. Clark didn't even have time to buckle his seatbelt as he held on for dear life.

"Not that," Clark said loudly as Linda tore out of the driveway and down the dirt road.

"Yeeeeeeeeehaw!" Linda shouted. Clark frowned and quickly threw the emergency brake, effectively stopping the truck. Linda glanced at her cousin, upset. "Clark!"

"You do that again," Clark warned, "and I'll make sure you don't get your license until you're thirty five." He knew he'd have to fix the brake later, but right now he had more important matters to attend to.

"But I -"

"No buts, Linda," Clark interrupted. "This is serious. You don't goof around with a vehicle. You can't deal with that then you won't be driving. Got it?"

Linda looked crestfallen as a tear fell down her cheek and she lowered her head. "Yes," she whispered softly.

Clark felt a little back; he sighed. "Linda, I'm not mad at you, but you need to know the boundaries when you're driving." He took her hand. "Honey, can you look at me, please?" Linda slowly looked up at Clark, and he smiled a bit. "There we go. Now, you ready to stop acting like you're in the Indy 500 and start acting like a responsible driver?" Linda nodded. "Now, first thing you want to do is fasten your seatbelt."

* * *

Abeat up gray '92 Chevy Cavalier stopped near the fence, and Jimmy got out. He glanced around the property and saw Clark's car parked nearby. The photographer locked up his car and headed up the steps to the porch. He knocked on the kitchen door a couple times. Krypto started barking, and Jimmy smiled a little. After a few moments the door opened, and Jonathan smiled at the visitor.

"Hi, Jimmy," he said. "Come on in."

"Hi, Mr. Kent," Jimmy replied as he walked in.

"Martha's in the den, waiting," Jonathan said. "You want anything to eat or drink?"

"No, thanks," Jimmy replied. "Uh, is Clark here? I saw his car outside."

"Actually, he's teaching Linda how to drive," Jonathan answered.

Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "Linda . . . driving?" He raised an eyebrow. "Do I need to hide my car?"

Jonathan smiled. "I don't think you have anything to worry about . . . yet."

"How is she?" Jimmy asked. He knew Linda was still reeling a little from her encounter with red kryptonite, even though they hadn't spoken to each other much since then.

"She's doing okay, Jimmy," Jonathan replied. He patted Jimmy's shoulder before Jimmy headed to the den. Then the farmer went about cleaning up the kitchen. Everything was quiet for a few minutes before Jonathan heard the familiar sound of his truck's engine. He looked through the window and saw the truck slowly pulling into the driving, stopping near Clark's car. He smiled as Clark and Linda got out and headed up the porch steps.

"We're back," Clark announced as they came inside.

"Hey, you two," Jonathan replied. "How did it go?"

"Well, we had a bit of a rocky start," Clark answered, glancing at Linda as she blushed slightly. "But the truck's in one piece . . . all in all, I think Linda did really well. I even taught her to parallel park." He smiled. "I think she's ready to take the test."

Jonathan smiled. "We'll talk about that later. Jimmy's here, and he's helping your mother with the website, so you two need to find something to keep yourselves busy until they're done."

"Well, I'm going to go work on my art," Linda replied. She glanced at Clark. "Why don't you join me, Clark? We need to talk anyway."

"Oh, that doesn't sound good," Clark said, smiling.

"It's not that bad," Linda replied. Jonathan smiled as Linda and Clark headed out of the house. He glanced around the kitchen and saw everything was where it should be, so he headed outside himself to take care of a few chores in the barn.

* * *

"So, Teotihuacán?" Clark asked as he sat on a stool beside Linda in the middle of the art shed.

"Yep," Linda replied as she sat on her own stool, moved her fingers gently against the clay mounted on the pedestal, letting the clay be formed into the image in her mind.

"Just like you theorized," Clark said.

"Uh huh," Linda answered. She wished she could tell Clark that Jimmy was partially responsible for helping with the theory, but Clark hadn't talked to Jimmy just yet; she kept silent.

"Wow," Clark said, smiling proudly. "I'm impressed."

"Don't speak too soon," Linda replied, embarrassed. "We still don't know where the water symbol is."

"Well, I've been thinking about that," Clark replied, "and doing a little research. The only thing I could come up with is that the water symbol might have something to do with Atlantis."

"The nightclub?" Linda asked.

"No," Clark replied slowly. "The city." Linda raised an eyebrow. "Well, the gist of it is that a long time ago there was this city, and for some reason it sank into the ocean."

"How?" Linda asked.

"Don't know," Clark replied.

"Where was it?"

"Again, don't know."

"Then how do you know the water symbol is connected to it?"

"I don't know," Clark replied. "It's just a theory." He sighed. "Look, I think it's really great that you're so interested in this, but I want you to be careful."

"Clark, I am being careful," Linda replied. "Bruce is helping me."

"I mean with these symbols," Clark said. "They're Kryptonian, yes, but we have no idea why they were put here in the first place. I mean, look at China; remember all those dead Kryptonian bodies in that mass grave? We have no idea if these symbols are good – or if this is all part of a trap."

"Do you want me to stop?" Linda asked.

"No," Clark answered. "I just want you to be very careful. Don't let yourself get too distracted, okay? I couldn't stand the thought of losing you." Linda nodded, and Clark smiled before looking at the mound of clay. "So, what's this going to be?"

"A Drang," Linda replied, elongating the clay mound.

"Another Kryptonian animal?" Clark asked.

"Yep," Linda replied. "It's like a giant purple flying snake with the head of a dinosaur and a single white horn on its forehead."

"What is it with you and flying animals?" Clark asked, grinning. Linda stuck her tongue out before going back to work. Clark ruffled her hair. "Well, think I'm going to let you work on this while I go spend time with Dad."

"'kay," Linda replied, working the clay in her fingers.

Clark headed for the door and opened it, stopping short when he saw Jimmy on the other side. "Hey, Jimmy," he said. "Aren't you supposed to be helping Mom with her site?"

"Well, the computer's acting a little weird," Jimmy replied, "so I'm running a few scans to see if there are any viruses and spyware on the harddrive. It's going to take a while, so I thought I'd come out and see Linda."

Clark glanced at Linda before looking back at Jimmy. Linda had told her cousin about what had happened between the two teens when she was hopped up on red kryptonite, and that Jimmy had – like Linda's friends - accepted the excuse that she was very sick and delirious. He also knew they hadn't spoken since then, so he wasn't sure if he should leave them alone or not.

Clark, please go, Linda said.

You sure? Clark asked.

Yeah, Linda replied.

"Well, if you two need anything," Clark replied, "I'll be with Dad." He headed out of the door, and Jimmy came in, closing the door behind him. He stayed at the door, not sure what he should do or say.

Linda stopped working and turned around. "Hi," she said quietly.

"Hey," Jimmy replied. He watched as Linda wordlessly got up and walked over to the sinks, washing and drying her hands. The young photographer felt horrible; he knew Linda must have been upset with him because of what he did to her, even though she said she wasn't. He sighed and ducked his head, then he looked up and saw her standing in front of him. He was startled and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything she put her arms around his neck and hugged him as tightly as she dared, her head resting on his shoulder, her eyes closed. Jimmy was startled by Linda's action, and he didn't know what to do; he stood stiffly, his hands by his sides.

Linda soon realized that Jimmy wasn't hugging her back, and she felt horrible, knowing that Jimmy was still upset with her. She started to pull away, and Jimmy could feel why; he stopped her from moving too far by putting his hands around her waist.

"Jimmy, what are you doing?" she asked softly.

"Don't," Jimmy whispered. "Please. I'm not upset."

"But you didn't hug me back," Linda said.

"I was startled," Jimmy replied. "I didn't think you'd wanna hug me after what I did."

Linda sighed. "Jimmy, I'm not mad at you. I never said I was, remember?"

"You should be," Jimmy said. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have robbed the bank and those stores . . . and attacked your parents and Pete . . . and fought with Clark and Bruce . . . and I wouldn't have wanted to . . . when you came to my place."

"Liar," Linda replied.

Jimmy furrowed his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"Jimmy, I may have been under the influence of red kryptonite, but I know your feelings for me were genuine." Jimmy blushed, and Linda felt embarrassed. "So were mine." Jimmy blushed more, and Linda could feel her cheeks growing warm. "Is . . . is that wrong?"

"No, it's not," Jimmy replied. "I said I was flattered, remember . . . and I meant it." He realized that he still had his arms around Linda's waist, but he wasn't about to let go, not until Linda wanted him to. Linda ducked her head, and if she noticed she was still in Jimmy's arms, she made no indication that she wanted him to let go. "Maybe . . . maybe we should talk about this."

"Really?" Linda asked softly.

"Yeah," Jimmy replied. He let go of Linda's waist, took her hands, and guided her over to the stools, gently pushing her into one; he took the other stool and faced her, still holding her hands, staring right into her eyes. He had a few things to get off his chest. "Linda, I know you told me that I shouldn't blame myself for what happened . . . but I still do. If I didn't want to get you something special, then none of those things would have happened."

"Jimmy, you wanted to do something special for me," Linda replied. "I've never had anyone treat me the way you have . . . or want to do half the things you want to do for me." Her eyes welled up with tears. "I know this sounds stupid, but I really don't want to lose that."

"And you think I'm going to leave after what happened?" Jimmy asked. Linda nodded, and Jimmy squeezed her hands. "Linda, I'm not going anywhere."

"Not even after what I did to you?" Linda asked. She wanted his forgiveness, but she didn't think she deserved it.

Jimmy sighed; he was a little frustrated that Linda wasn't grasping what he was trying to tell her, but he wasn't mad at her. "Linda, you didn't do anything; it wasn't you." He took Linda's hands and gently pulled her to him, letting her sit on his lap, and he wrapped his arms around her, cocooning her. Linda didn't protest; she felt safe with him. "What else do you want me say or do to make you feel better? Please tell me."

"What about forgiveness?" Linda asked.

Jimmy tilted his head, then it clicked; he knew what Linda was really asking. "Is that what you want from me? Forgiveness?"

Linda nodded, and a tear slipped down her cheek. "Yeah. . . I want you to forgive yourself. I don't care if you forgive me."

"You're a horrible liar," Jimmy said, a small smile on his lips. Linda looked at him, a little surprised. "Linda, I know you want to blame yourself for what happened, but your family doesn't . . . and neither do I."

"And I don't blame you, either," Linda said softly.

"But I can't forgive you," Jimmy said. Linda hung her head, feeling completely hurt; Jimmy saw her expression and tilted her face, looking in her eyes. "There's nothing to forgive."

Linda was confused. "But -"

Jimmy stopped her. "But nothing. You had no control over your actions, even if part of you felt that way. I know your parents and Clark have already told you this, and I'm telling you the same thing."

Linda stared right into those warm chocolate brown eyes, and found herself lost in them. After a few minutes she took a ragged breath.

"You feel better?" Jimmy asked.

Linda shrugged. "Will you forgive yourself?" she asked.

"Will you forgive yourself?" Jimmy asked.

"I'll try," Linda replied honestly.

"Ditto," Jimmy said. A small smile played on his lips. "You know what we need to talk about now?"

"What?" Linda asked.

"Your first driving lesson," Jimmy replied. "You and Clark were out when I showed up. How did it go?"

"Well, technically it was my second lesson," Linda said. "Mom gave me my first lesson – and then Dad told her that Clark was going to teach me."

Jimmy furrowed an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"Mom told me to drive fast, and I kept jumping the truck in the fields," Linda answered. "Dad wasn't thrilled – and the cows refused to give any milk for the day." Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "Then when I was with Clark he threw out the emergency break when I sped off, and he threatened to make sure I wouldn't get my license until I was thirty five."

Jimmy's eyes widened, eyebrows raised, and he had a touch of a grin that turned into a chuckle as he slowly shook his head in a 'yep, that's our Linda' way. "Please tell me you did slow down after that."

"Yeah, I did," Linda replied. "Clark taught me how to drive . . . even how to do three-point turns and parallel park." She smiled. "He said I might be ready for my driving test soon."

"I would probably take a few more lessons first," Jimmy suggested. "Just to make sure." He glanced at her sculpture. "So, what's this going to be?"

"A Drang," Linda answered. "Flying Kryptonian snake creature. But it's nowhere near being finished."

"Well, I have a feeling it's going to be great," Jimmy smiled. "Just like all your other pieces." Linda blushed, embarrassed, and Jimmy felt his heart pound a little; he took a deep breath to collect himself as something else came to mind. "So, how did your visit to Bruce's go?"

"Well," Linda replied slowly, "it was interesting."

"Oh?" Jimmy asked. "Do we like interesting?"

Linda shrugged. "Well, Bruce managed to locate the earth element."

"That's great," Jimmy replied. "Where was it?"

"Well, it was on a parchment paper being sold on eBay," Linda answered. "The owner claimed it was found in Mexico – at Teotihuacán."

Jimmy's eyes widened. "Really?"

Linda nodded. "It was where we thought it would be," she replied, smiling. "Thank you for your help."

Jimmy blushed. "Hey, I didn't do that much."

"You did more than enough," Linda replied. "I wouldn't have been able to do this without your help." Jimmy looked embarrassed. "And there's something else that happened at Bruce's."

"Everything okay?"

Linda shrugged. "I guess." She hesitated for a second. "Jimmy, I got a new power."

"Well, seeing how there are only two powers left for you," Jimmy replied, a small smile on his lips, "and I know if you were able to fly you'd be all grins and giggles, I'm going to take a wild guess and say you are now the proud owner of superbreath."

Linda blushed, embarrassed. "I still don't know how to control it. I iced Bruce's chair – while he was in it."

Jimmy coughed to cover up a laugh, and he squeezed Linda's hands. "You'll get it under control, Linda. You haven't had any real problems yet."

Linda suddenly shifted and turned around on Jimmy's lap, facing him, staring right into his eyes. She could see the nervous expression on his face, remembering it from that night when she came to his room and nearly seduced him; part of her felt horrible, but she knew she had to put that aside and move on. After a few moments she leaned over and kissed his cheek. When she pulled back she saw the shocked expression on his face, and she simply smiled as she got off his lap and went back over to her stool to work on her sculpture. Her back faced him as she worked her hands through the clay, but she could feel his emotions, how speechless she had made him, and she couldn't help but grin to herself.

"Jimmy, you in here?" Martha asked as she opened the studio door and poked her head in. She stopped short when she saw Linda working on a sculpture and Jimmy sitting next to her on his own stool – looking positively stunned. Martha furrowed her eyebrows. "Jimmy, you okay?"

Jimmy shook himself from his stupor and smiled. "Yeah, Mrs. Kent," he said as he got to his feet. "I'm fine." He briefly glanced in Linda's direction, a small smile on his lips.

Martha raised an eyebrow, knowing something had happened but not knowing exactly what had happened. She made a mental note to ask Linda about it later; she smiled at Jimmy. "The computer has finished scanning – and it has some viruses and spyware." She looked a little embarrassed that she had no clue what to do.

"Okay, I'll help you take care of that," Jimmy replied as he headed over to Martha. "See you later, Linda."

"Okay, Jimmy," Linda said. "Bye, Mom."

"Bye, honey," Martha replied. She and Jimmy headed out of the studio, and Martha closed the door behind her, leaving her daughter in her own world as she continued working on the clay.

(End of Chapter 4)


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

Claire sat on her bed, her legs curled under her, and her chin resting on her knees. Tears spilled down her cheeks, but she remained quiet, listening to the sounds of her parents as they argued in their bedroom. The yelling was muffled, but Claire could still understand every word they said, and it took all her strength to keep silent.

"This has gone too far!" Kevin Selton shouted. "We have to do something!"

"This isn't her fault!" Diana Selton retorted. "She's trying hard to control it!"

"She set Fordman's on fire just because something startled her!"

"She can't help being this way! What do you want to do?"

"She needs help, Diana! She can't stay here!"

"She's our daughter! Where would she go?"

"She's too dangerous to stay here! Someone should be able to help her a lot better than we have."

"Who?"

"I don't know . . . but she needs help." Claire heard her father sigh. "Diana, I don't like it anymore than you do, but you know it's what she needs."

There was a pause. "I know."

Claire felt her heart break. Her own parents wanted to get rid of her . . . not that she could blame them; she was a freak. It wasn't fair to put them through all the trouble of dealing with a freak for a daughter. Wordlessly, Claire got off her bed and grabbed her backpack. She hurriedly opened it, dumped her books and folders out, and grabbed some clothes and other things she knew she'd need. She also took her piggy bank and tossed it in the backpack before closing it up and putting it on her shoulders. She walked over to her bedroom window and opened it, carefully climbing out onto a sturdy branch that shot out from a nearby oak tree; she had done it so many times before that it was second nature to her. She climbed down the tree and headed off into the woods behind her house, intending to get as far away from Smallville as possible.

* * *

Linda had just finished molding the horn onto her Drang when the shed door opened and Clark came in. "You busy, Short Stack?" he asked.

"Nope, I'm actually finished," Linda replied. "Just gotta paint it and then fire it, and then it'll be done, but I want to do that tomorrow."

"Cool," Clark said. "Hey, I just wanted to let you know I'm heading back to Metropolis. I want to get back and patrol the city, and the drive's going to take a few hours. I already said goodbye to Mom, Dad, and Jimmy."

"You could fly back, you know," Linda replied as she got up and went about covering her statue and cleaning up.

"Linda, you know I can't do that now," Clark said. "I got the car – and Jimmy's here."

"You could tell him," Linda retorted.

Clark sighed. "Linda, I really don't want to get into this with you right now, but I will say this: I am working on it. You can scan my mind if you don't believe me."

"I believe you," Linda replied. "I know you wouldn't lie to me."

"Of course I wouldn't," Clark said. He paused. "You mad at me?"

"No, just frustrated," Linda answered.

Clark felt a little hurt by that, but he knew Linda was justified in feeling that way. He walked over and hugged her, kissing her forehead. "I'll call you when I get in, okay?" Linda nodded. "Oh, Dad wants to see you."

"Okay," Linda replied. She and Clark headed out of the studio and said goodbye to each other one last time. Linda watched her cousin get into his car and drive away. When he was out of sight the young girl headed into the barn. Jonathan was mucking out the stalls, his back to her. "Dad?"

Jonathan turned around, smiling. "Hi, sweetie."

"Clark said you wanted to talk to me."

"Yeah, it's about your driving." Linda tensed, and Jonathan saw it. "Sweetie, I'm not mad at you; Clark told me he took care of your little lead foot, and that we're not going to have to worry about you speeding anymore, right?"

"Right," Linda replied.

"Good girl," Jonathan said. "That being the case, I was wondering if you'd like to take a spin tomorrow with your old man? If you do a good enough job, your mother and I might agree to let you take your license test."

"Really?" Linda asked, excitedly.

"Really," Jonathan answered. "Now, you want to grab a shovel and help me finish the stalls?" Linda nodded and grabbed a nearby shovel.

* * *

Claire ran as fast as she could through the snow-covered woods, but it was hard with her tennis shoes; she was also cold, wishing she had remembered to grab her jacket before leaving. Still, she pushed forward, knowing she could never go back. She had just entered a clearing when she tripped on a root hidden by the snow; she fell forward to the ground, her backpack opening and scattering her stuff around. Claire looked up and saw the area in front of her in flames, the fire licking the dry tree branches. Mortified, the red head hurriedly picked up her stuff and put it back in her sack, but she overlooked the small chain and locket nestled in the snow. Claire slung the bag back over her shoulders and ran off as the fire began engulfing the forest.

* * *

Night was falling as Jonathan and Linda walked into the kitchen. Linda headed for the fridge with the intent to start dinner, while Jonathan went into the living room to see what was going on with the news before joining his daughter. Linda grabbed leftover pot roast and ingredients to make a fresh salad, put the pot roast aside to heat it after making the salad. She started cutting up the lettuce.

"Martha," Jonathan called out. "Linda, Jimmy . . . you might want to come in here." Linda stopped what she was doing and headed into the living room, seeing Jonathan watching the television; Jimmy and Martha soon joined her, and the three of them looked over at the news story being broadcast.

"Again," the anchorwoman for the local news channel, KTML, said, reading from some pages she held, "a wildfire is spreading from the woods located northwest of Smallville. Officials are on the scene trying to contain the fire, but they are not having much luck. Residents in the immediate vicinity area urged to evacuate, and everyone in Smallville is advised to be ready in case of an emergency evacuation."

"The only woods northwest of Smallville are the ones across the farm," Jonathan said gravely. The four glanced at each other before heading for the front door; they ran out onto the porch and looked out across the field to the woods near their property. A soft orange glow slowly grew bright, and large flames started emerging through the trees.

"Oh, God, no," Martha whispered.

"I'm going to go help," Linda said. She reached for the rail, intending to jump over it, but Jonathan stopped her. "Dad, I gotta go."

"Linda, I'm not going to stop you, but I want you to be careful," Jonathan said. "And please don't let anyone see you."

Linda nodded and jumped over the balcony. She landed solidly on the ground before blurring away to go deal with the fire. The Kents and Jimmy watched the fire, worried for Linda, then Jimmy's photographer instincts kicked in, knowing he had to get at least a few shots of the fire, and he quietly headed off the porch, unseen by either Martha or Jonathan. He made his way to his car, unlocked it, and grabbed his digital camera from the front passenger's seat, then he shut his door. It wasn't until he was halfway down the gravel drive that Jonathan spotted him.

"Jimmy!" he shouted, but Jimmy didn't stop running. Jonathan sighed and ran off the porch, heading after the young boy; he knew Jimmy was being a photographer, but Jimmy the person was a lot more important to Jonathan, and the farmer couldn't sit idle by while Jimmy put himself in danger.

Martha watched her husband run after Jimmy. She waited a few moments, then she turned and headed into the house.

* * *

Clark was whistling softly as he drove east on Route 8 when his cellphone rang. He saw the caller ID was from the farmhouse, and he flipped it open. "Hello?" he answered.

"Clark, where are you?" Martha asked.

"I'm on Route 8," Clark replied. He furrowed, hearing the worry in his mother's voice. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"There's a forest fire across the street from the farm," Martha answered. "It's spreading fast."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Clark replied. He hung up the phone as he pulled off to the side of the road. He glanced around to make sure no one was around before changing into his Superman costume. He got out of the car and closed the door before leaping into the sky and heading west.

* * *

Linda kept a protective telekinetic shield around her as she walked through the flames, looking all around, trying to figure out what to do. Some branches fell from overhead, but Linda focused a concentrated telekinetic blast, splintering the wood into hundreds of pieces. The young girl knew she'd have to use her superbreath, and she was glad no one was around, but before she could focus Superman dropped down out of the sky, landing beside her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Trying to stop the fire," Linda replied.

"Well, I can handle it from here," Superman replied. "Go back to the farm."

"I can help," Linda said, slightly indignant. She faced some of the flames and really concentrated. After a few moments she could feel the cold building up in her chest; she took a deep breath and blew as hard as she could. Ice particles blasted like shotgun pellets from her mouth, hitting the flames, but it fizzled out after a few seconds, and the flames re-ignited. Linda became visibly upset. "Aw, jeeze, come on!"

Superman was stunned. "Linda . . . you . . . ."

"Yes, Clark, I have superbreath," Linda replied, frustrated.

"Do Mom and Dad know?"

"Yeah, of course they do," Linda answered. "I was planning on surprising you when I got in under control. Well, 'surprise.'"

Superman sighed. "Look, we'll talk about this later. Right now, I've got to get this fire under control. Please go back to the farm."

"Clark, I can help. Today, I managed to -"

"Linda, go home," Superman ordered, turning his attention to the fire.

Linda glared at him before turning on her heels. She started heading out, when something near her feet caught her attention. She bent over and saw a gold chain with a charred heart-shaped locket on it. Linda picked it up, wondering if it could be a clue. She stuffed it in her pocket and hurried out of the forest and saw Jonathan and Jimmy right across the street. Jimmy was taking pictures, but he stopped when he saw her, and Jonathan looked worried and upset at the same time; she ran to meet them.

"Linda, what's wrong?" Jonathan asked. "Are you okay?" He started examining her.

"I'm fine," Linda replied. "I promise; I kept a telekinetic shield up to keep from getting burned."

"You sure you're okay?" Jimmy asked, concern written on his face.

Linda nodded. "Clark's in there; he's taking care of the fire." She sighed, looking a little upset. "I'm going back to the house." She headed off down the gravel walk. Jimmy and Jonathan were a little curious, but they'd find out later. The farmer went back to watching the fire and keeping an eye on Jimmy, and Jimmy went back to snapping pictures.

Jimmy, can we talk privately later? It's important.

Jimmy was a little startled to hear Linda's voice in his head, but he didn't give any outward appearance of it. Sure, Linda. Is everything okay?

Yeah, but I think I found a clue, Linda replied. I wanted to get your opinion on it.

Uh, wow . . . sure, we can do that.

Thanks. And be careful, Jimmy.

I'll do my best. Jimmy smiled a little as he went back to taking his pictures.

* * *

Claire wandered onto the Smallville cemetery property, crying and shivering. Her feet crunched silently through the snow as she made her way around the tombstones. She was hungry and tired and cold, but she didn't want to be around anyone. She stumbled to the lone crypt and went inside, shutting the door behind her. Crying, she sank to the floor, curling in on herself as emotional and physical fatigue finally overtook her, and she fell asleep.

* * *

"So, any signs of what started it?" Superman asked the fire marshal. The fire had just recently been extinguished, and now the investigation was underway. Superman had stayed around, talking with the fire marshal, Paul Goodrich, and Pete.

"Not yet," Goodrich replied. "I know it's going to take a while, but as of now I'm not seeing any point of origin."

Superman used is visual attributes to scan the area, but he couldn't find anything. "I'm not seeing anything either, sir. A little unusual."

"Fires don't start themselves, Superman," Goodrich replied.

"But this is Smallville," Pete said. "Land of the very weird." He glanced over as Jimmy and Jonathan headed for the trio. "Mr. Kent, Jimmy, what are you two doing here?"

"No civilians are allowed on the premises at this time," Goodrich warned Jonathan and Jimmy.

"Jimmy Olsen, Daily Planet," the young photographer replied.

"No reporters either," Goodrich said.

"Just a couple of questions," Jimmy protested. "Jeeze, what's a guy gotta do? Put on tights and a cape?"

"Jimmy, that's enough," Jonathan replied sternly. "Back to the farm."

Jimmy glowered, but he kept his mouth shut as he turned and stalked away. Jonathan turned back to the trio, glancing briefly at his son. "I'm sorry about Jimmy; he's just trying to be a reporter."

"It's okay, Mr. Kent," Superman replied. He paused briefly, trying to figure out how to find out what Jimmy's plans were for the rest of the evening. "Why is he in Smallville?"

"He's been helping my wife with some computer stuff," Jonathan replied, knowing by his son's look what his son was really asking him. "They didn't get a chance to finish, and it's getting late, so he's going to be spending the night."

Superman nodded, understanding what his father wasn't saying. "Well," he said, "Since it appears everything's under control here, I'm going to head back to Metropolis." He took off into the sky.

"Well, I'm going to talk to Jimmy and tend to my family," Jonathan replied. He nodded politely before leaving, and Pete and Goodrich went back to concentrating on the investigation.

* * *

"So, you mind telling me what happened between you and Jimmy?" Martha asked as she and Linda went about preparing dinner; Martha took over fixing the salad, and Linda was using the lowest 'setting' on her heat vision to cook the pot roast.

"Nothing," Linda replied. "I just kissed him."

"Then why did he look so stunned?" Martha asked.

"I don't know," Linda answered. She smiled. "Maybe I just have that affect on him." She sighed. "Mom, I really like him, and I know he really likes me."

"Honey, I know you two like each other," Martha said, "and I have no problem with that, but you two agreed to be friends first. You need to honor that agreement."

"It's so hard," Linda replied.

"I know," Martha said, "but you two need to grow as friends first; don't rush a good thing, okay?" Linda nodded, and then the kitchen door opened. Linda lost her focus, and she and Martha looked over as Jimmy came walking in. He looked very angry and frustrated. "Jimmy, what's wrong?"

Before he could answer Jonathan came walking in, looking upset. "Jimmy, what was that all about?"

"Just because he's Superman, it doesn't mean he should be treated any differently than us," Jimmy replied.

"Maybe so, but that's no excuse for what you said back there," Jonathan replied.

"Was Clark mean to you too?" Linda asked Jimmy.

"'Too?'" Martha asked.

"Clark told me to leave when I tried to help him stop the fire," Linda replied. "He wouldn't even listen to me; he just ordered me to leave."

"We'll talk to Clark about that," Jonathan replied. "But no matter what he says or does or how he's treated, there is no excuse to be rude. Is that clear?" The teenagers both nodded. "Good. Now, Jimmy, it's getting late, so you're going to be staying for the night."

"It's only a little after eight," Jimmy protested. Jonathan gave him a look that silently said 'don't argue with me, son.' Jimmy sighed. "Fine, I'll stay."

"Good answer," Jonathan replied. He held out his hand. "Car keys, please."

"You don't trust me?" Jimmy asked.

"Not after your last stunt," Martha replied.

Jimmy sighed and pulled his keys from his jeans pocket. "Fine, but can I at least send these pics to Perry?"

"Can he use my computer?" Linda asked. "Please?"

"Sure," Jonathan replied.

"Just don't be long," Martha added. "Dinner's almost ready."

"And make sure none of those pictures have Linda in them," Jonathan said. Jimmy nodded as the two headed upstairs, leaving Jonathan and Martha down in the kitchen to finish preparing the food.

* * *

"Okay, that's it," Jimmy replied as he finished sending off the last photo to Perry's inbox; he made sure to include what he knew about the story, including was Linda was able to overhear from the authorities after they came up to Linda's room.

Linda had been on her bed on her stomach, petting and scratching Krypto and Streaky. "You're done?" she asked.

"Yep," Jimmy replied. He turned around in the desk chair and smiled when he saw Linda playing with the animals. "So, now what? Dinner?"

"Remember when I asked you earlier about talking to you?" Linda asked.

"Yeah," Jimmy replied. "What's up?"

Linda reached into her pocket and pulled out the charred locket and chain. Jimmy's eyes widened. "Uh, please don't tell me you got that from the fire site."

"Why not?" Linda asked.

"Because that's tampering with potential evidence," Jimmy replied. "And you could get into trouble with it." He winced. "Especially if your father finds out."

"Then we won't tell him," Linda replied. Jimmy gave her a look. "What?"

Jimmy smiled as he walked over and sat beside Linda; he stared right into her eyes. "Because he'll kill both of us."

"Jimmy, it's just a necklace," Linda replied. "What's the big deal?"

"Linda, it was found at a potential crime scene," Jimmy answered. "It could be evidence."

"We don't know that," Linda pointed out. "Someone could have just lost it."

"Okay, then you tell your dad that and see what he says," Jimmy said.

"Fine, I will," Linda replied. She got up and headed for the door.

"And I want to make it very clear that I was not involved in this," Jimmy added as he followed her.

"Chicken," Linda smiled as she headed down the stairs.

"Actually, it's beef tonight," Martha said as the teens walked to the table; Martha and Jonathan were already sitting in their places.

"How did the photos turn out?" Jonathan asked as Jimmy and Linda took their seats.

"Great," Jimmy replied. "And none of them had Linda in them."

"That's good to know," Jonathan said, smiling.

Jimmy glanced at Linda. So, you going to tell him?

Not right now, Jimmy. We haven't even started eating.

Now who's being a chicken?

I am not.

Are too.

Am not.

Are too.

Am not.

"Okay, what's going on?" Jonathan asked.

"What?" Linda asked.

"Your mother just asked you to pass the salad," Jonathan replied, "and you and Jimmy have just been staring at each other."

"So?" Linda asked.

"Well, considering the looks in your eyes when you were staring at each other," Jonathan said, "I'm guessing you were having a telepathic conversation, and it wasn't exactly friendly. So, give."

"Linda took a piece of potential evidence from the forest," Jimmy replied quickly. "And I didn't know anything about it until she just showed it to me."

"You took evidence from a crime scene?" Jonathan asked, his voice getting louder with every word.

Linda narrowed her eyes at Jimmy. "Traitor," she replied. She looked back at Jonathan. "It's just a locket, Dad. Someone could have dropped it."

"Yeah, like the person who started the fire," Jonathan said angrily.

"You don't know that," Linda replied.

"And neither do you," Jonathan said.

"Linda, you have to give it to Pete," Martha replied.

"Why?" Linda asked.

"Because you shouldn't have taken it in the first place," Jonathan answered. Linda sat back in her chair and folded her arms. "Young lady, you will be giving that to Pete."

Linda got to her feet and dropped the locket on her plate. "Give it to him yourself," she replied before leaving the table and marching up the stairs.

"Hey," Jonathan said as he got to his feet and followed her. "Linda, don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you."

Jimmy sank a little in his chair, feeling horrible. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"For what?" Martha asked.

"For getting her in trouble," Jimmy answered.

"She shouldn't have taken it, Jimmy," Martha said. "And she definitely shouldn't be acting this way about it."

"Is she mad at me?" Jimmy asked.

Martha reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. "She's probably a little frustrated, but don't worry; she won't stay that way for long." Jimmy felt only a little better as he gave a small smile.

(End of Chapter 5)


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

Jonathan walked into her room just a few feet behind his daughter, and he stopped just inside the door. Linda had her back to him as she stared out her window, arms crossed. "Linda, turn around and look at me." Nothing. "Kara Linda Kent."

"You said I could go and help," Linda said as she turned around, her eyes full of anger and hurt.

Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"The fire," Linda answered. "You said I could go, and now you're getting mad at me. Do you want me to help or not?" She stood, arms folded, looking down.

Jonathan suddenly realized why Linda was reacting so emotionally. He sighed as he walked over and took Linda's shoulders. "Linda, look at me." Linda slowly looked up. "When I said you could help, I meant it."

"Then why are you getting so mad at me?" Linda asked.

"Because you did something wrong," Jonathan replied. "You took potential evidence from a possible crime scene."

"Bruce does it all the time," Linda said.

"You're not Bruce," Jonathan replied. "You're my daughter."

"I wanted to find out who it belonged to," Linda said.

"That's not your job."

"Are you mad at me?"

"No," Jonathan answered, his expression growing very serious. "But I am upset about how you treated me earlier; I don't like being talked to or walked out on like that, Linda."

Linda looked ashamed. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

"I know you are," Jonathan replied. "But I still have to punish you; I can't let you off the hook for disrespecting me like that." Linda winced. "Now, don't worry; I'm letting you off easy - this time."

"What?" Linda asked quietly.

"No art for three days," Jonathan answered. "Any spare time you have outside your homework and other school duties you will now spend doing chores around the house – without your powers. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Linda replied.

"Good," Jonathan said. He pulled Linda to him, hugging her gently. "I love you, sweetie."

"I love you too, Daddy," Linda whispered, hugging her father around the waist.

"Oh, and two more things," Jonathan said. Linda looked up. "You can try to get as much information as you can from that necklace – without tampering with it. Then you can return it to Pete. Second, you're going to apologize to your mother and Jimmy for your behavior. Understood?" Linda smiled and nodded. "Good. Now, come on downstairs. Our dinner's getting cold." He held out his hand, and Linda walked over, taking it. The two headed downstairs, and Martha and Jimmy looked up. "Guys, Linda has something to say to both of you."

Linda looked a little embarrassed and ashamed. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I was wrong. I didn't mean to yell or walk away."

"It's okay, Linda," Martha replied. "I forgive you." She glanced at Jimmy. "Jimmy, are you okay?"

Linda walked over and sat beside Jimmy, taking his hand, looking at him. "I'm not mad at you, Jimmy," she said softly.

"I'm sorry I got you into trouble," Jimmy said.

"Actually, I got myself into trouble," Linda replied sheepishly. She squeezed his hand, smiling at him, letting him know she was okay. She was grateful he smiled back.

"Well," Jonathan said, "now that it seems all is right with the world, why don't we get back to eating dinner?" He walked over and took the locket from his plate, setting it nearby before going back to his chair and sitting down. After saying a quick blessing for the wonderful food, the safety of Clark and Linda and Jimmy, and the hope that the person responsible for the fire would be caught soon, the four were eating the wonderful home-cooked meal and talking about everything of interest.

When dinner was finished and the Kents were cleaning up, Jimmy and Linda were in the living room, carefully examining the locket as Krypto and Streaky lounged out near the fireplace as the flames from a recently started fire licked around fresh pieces of wood. The outside of the locket was indiscernible to the naked eye, completely charred and blackened, but that didn't stop Linda. She possessed extra visual acuities that occasionally came in handy; focusing past the layer of sooty blackness she saw an etched 'CS' on the face of the locket.

"'CS,'" she said. "Must be initials." She focused deeper and saw a family photo nestled inside consisting of a father, a mother, and a little red-headed girl; there was also a small logo of a dove with an olive branch in its beak. "Jimmy, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure," Jimmy replied.

"Can you get the sketchpad from my desk and my colored pencils?" Linda asked. "They're on the desk too."

Jimmy nodded and left the living room, heading up the stairs. He returned a few minutes later, Linda's sketch pad and a small pack of sharpened colored pencils in his hands. "Here you go," he said as he sat beside her.

Linda tore her attention from the locket and smiled as she took the offered items and used them to draw a sketch of the family and logo at lightning speed; Jimmy barely had time to register that she had started sketching when she held up her finished masterpiece. He smiled and whistled, impressed.

"Not bad," he said. "Who's the family?"

"Not sure," Linda replied. She pointed to the man she assumed was the father. "Maybe Mom and Dad know." She and Jimmy got up and headed into the kitchen. Jonathan and Martha were finishing up the dishes. "Mom, Dad, do you know who these people are? I didn't open it, just 'peeked' inside." Jonathan and Martha dried their hands and looked at the sketch. "There were also two initials on the locket's face: 'CS.'"

"You used your vision to see this?" Jonathan asked.

Linda nodded. "You said I could get as much information as I could without destroying the locket," she said. She shrugged. "So, I figured if I used my x-ray vision, then I could get more information." She looked worried. "Was that wrong?"

Jonathan smiled. "No, sweetie, you did good. Very good. We're very proud of you." Linda blushed, smiling.

"Well, I don't recognize them," Martha replied. She pointed to the logo. "That logo looks familiar."

"I know," Jonathan said. "I've seen it before."

"Where?" Linda asked.

"Not sure," Jonathan replied. "Maybe you could ask Pete when you give the locket back."

"Or maybe I can ask someone else," Linda suggested gently.

"Like who?" Jonathan asked, frowning a little.

"Wally and Cutter?" Linda asked.

"Out of the question," Jonathan replied.

"Dad, they have the resources," Linda said.

"So does Pete," Jonathan counteracted. "And how would you even explain how you got your information in the first place?"

"Very carefully?" Linda asked.

"No," Jonathan said.

"Aw, come on, Dad, please?" Linda asked. "I'll be good, I promise."

Jonathan sighed. "Linda, I -"

"Jonathan, why don't you let her go?" Martha interrupted gently.

Jonathan turned to his wife. "Martha," he said.

"Jonathan, Linda will behave herself," Martha replied. "And she can stop by Pete's on her way to drop off the necklace. And she won't be going alone; Jimmy can go with her." Jimmy raised an eyebrow, but he wasn't about to object spending time with Linda. He smiled a little bit.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow, but he didn't say anything. He glanced back at his daughter, and she gave him her big blue-eyed look. He sighed, giving her a small smile. "Okay, fine," he said. "You and Jimmy can go to see Wally and Cutter – only if it's okay with their parents."

"Knowing them, they're probably already at the Torch working on the story," Linda replied as she headed for the phone. She dialed the Torch office and waited. "Hey, Cutter, it's Linda. I got something I want you to check out. I know you're busy with the forest fire, but we were able to see it here, so maybe we could trade info?" She slowly smiled. "And I even have some photos that I can bribe you with." She laughed. "Okay, thanks. See you shortly." She hung up and saw Jimmy looking at her, one eyebrow raised. "What?"

"Nothing," Jimmy replied, his eyes hiding a sparkle that Linda wasn't sure what to make of. He smiled at the Kents. "We'll take my car, and we'll stop by Pete's on the way to the Torch and drop the locket off . . . if that's okay with you."

"That's fine with us, Jimmy," Martha replied. "Just don't stay out too late, okay?"

Jimmy nodded and steered Linda into the living room, where Linda grabbed the locket. Jimmy hurried upstairs and grabbed his, camera and then came back down. The two teens got their coats and headed out the front door.

"Okay, what was that look for?" Linda asked as she and Jimmy shrugged into their coats and followed Jimmy down the porch stairs.

"You bargained with my photos," Jimmy replied, holding up his camera. "Next time you do that, talk to me first, okay?" Linda winced, and Jimmy smiled. "Linda, I'm not mad at you, but you will owe me for this." Linda glanced over and saw his eyes twinkle, and she knew it was going to be big. She sighed, accepting her fate as they headed to Jimmy's car.

Inside, Jonathan smiled at his wife. "You do realize what you just did, don't you?" he asked.

"What?" Martha asked.

"You know how those two feel about each other," Jonathan replied, "and you still let them go out unsupervised." Martha paused, then she sighed and shook her head, realizing her error in judgment. Jonathan simply laughed, loving how cute she was when she blushed, and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry too much, sweetheart; they both know that if anything happens I'll go into full father mode."

"Don't you do that already?" Martha asked wryly. Jonathan just smiled and kissed her forehead again, then the two went back to cleaning the kitchen.

(End of Chapter 6)


	7. Chapter 7

- - - - 

Cutter sat at his desk in the Torch office, typing up what information he was able to get from his phone call to Pete; he hadn't been able to get much, and it was a little frustrating. Wally was at the design board, working on the layout for the front page. He didn't have much, save for the headline, 'Fire!' in bold black letters.

"You sure she's gonna show up?" Wally asked. "I'm holding the front page for her information, but if we're going to make deadline tomorrow we need to have this stuff at least in layout."

"You worry way too much, Wally." Wally and Cutter looked up and saw Linda in the office doorway, smiling. She had a rolled up piece of sketch paper in her hands. Jimmy stood behind her, smiling slightly, standing tall and protective; he didn't mind Linda's friends, but Linda was still his first priority.

"Well, it's about time," Wally said, looking a little annoyed. "You're late."

"I said I'd be here as soon as I could," Linda replied as she and Jimmy walked in. "We had to stop by and see Pete first."

"Why?" Cutter asked.

"We needed to give our accounts of what we saw," Linda replied. "Jimmy and I both saw the fire."

"So, why are you in Smallville?" Cutter asked Jimmy, glancing back and forth between the photographer and Linda; he, like the rest of Linda's friends, knew about the relationship Jimmy and Linda had; they also knew from Linda that she and Jimmy had agreed to be friends.

"He was helping my mom with some computer work," Linda replied. "And he's staying in town, since it's late." She saw Wally and Cutter glance at each other, and she sighed a little. "Anyway, sorry we're late; we're here now. Can you help us out?"

"Not so fast, blondie," Cutter replied, smiling, as he walked over, folding his arms. "You got the stuff?"

Linda smirked. "I got two eyewitness accounts of the forest fire," she replied.

"And?" Wally asked.

"And the fire was hot and it spread fast before it was put out," Linda answered. "Without damaging anything on the farm."

"Oh, come on!" Wally said. "Even we knew that!" Linda shrugged, smiling. "Did you see Superman?"

Linda stiffened. "Excuse me?" she asked.

"Superman put the fire out," Cutter replied. "Sheriff Ross told me about it when I talked to him earlier."

He wasn't the only one there, Linda fumed to herself. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Jimmy giving her a 'I'll take it from here' look.

"I saw him," Jimmy replied. "After the fire was out, but he didn't say anything; neither did the fire marshal or Sheriff Ross; none of them said anything about anything." He glanced over and saw Linda smiling gratefully at him; he smiled back.

Wally and Cutter glanced at each other, wondering if Linda and Jimmy were hiding anything; they figured they were, but they decided not to pursue it at the moment. They simply nodded.

"And the photos?" Cutter asked.

"Are mine," Jimmy answered, "so I'll be deciding which ones you get – if you get any at all."

"Since when did this become a bartering place?" Wally asked.

"Since you got something we want," Jimmy replied, "and we got something you want." He nodded to the paper in Linda's hands. "Linda has something she wants you to do for her." Linda tried not to smile, in awe and amused at what Jimmy was doing for her as she held out the paper. Cutter took it and unwound it, and he and Wally looked at the sketch.

"Who's the family?" Cutter asked.

"Not sure," Linda replied. "Could you find out?"

"Why?" Wally asked.

"Uh . . . well . . .," Linda replied slowly. "I, uh . . . ." She sighed. "You know what, forget it. Don't worry about it."

"Whoa, hold it," Wally said. "Linda, what are you talking about?"

"Nothing, nevermind," Linda said before she hurried out of the office. The three teens looked at each other before Jimmy hurried out after her. He saw her disappear around a corner and hurried after her. He finally caught up with her near the front doors.

"Linda," he said, "what's wrong?"

"I still feel weird being around them," Linda replied, turning around, tears in her eyes.

"Because of what happened when you were on red kryptonite?" Jimmy asked.

"Because of what I told them," Linda answered. "I told them everything about Clark and me. I know they all thought I was sick, but still . . . the idea is now in their heads. What if they suspect something in the future and make the connection?" She willed herself not to cry, but she hugged herself and hung her head.

Jimmy took her shoulders. "Linda, look at me." She slowly looked up. "Would it matter if they did know?"

"I don't know," Linda replied. "I know that Mom and Dad and Clark would be mad at me."

"I don't mean that," Jimmy said. "I mean, would you be okay with it?"

Linda sighed. She had asked herself that question many times since the red kryptonite incident - and she had no real answer. "I don't know. I mean, I know they're my friends, so I want to believe that they'd accept me for who I am, but . . . I know they'd be mad at me for lying to them . . . and I know they'd be freaked out to know that one of their friends is from another planet – literally."

"Linda, if they're your friends, then, yeah, they're going to be a little freaked out. I mean, when I found out the truth about you I was a little freaked out."

"And mad," Linda added.

"No," Jimmy replied. "Hurt. I was hurt, not angry, but I got over it; I was never mad at you, because I know why you did it. And if your friends ever find out, or if you ever tell them, I'm sure they'll react the exact same way."

"And hate me?" Linda asked.

"No," Jimmy replied. "I have a strong feeling they won't hate you. And if they do, then well, then they're not worth having as friends if they don't like you for who you are." He smiled. "And you could always wipe their minds if that happened." Linda raised an eyebrow, and Jimmy laughed; the young girl shook her head and playfully smacked his arm. "Feel better?"

"Yeah, I guess," Linda replied. The two headed back to the Torch office.

"Everything okay?" Cutter asked.

"Yeah," Linda replied. She hoped they would drop the subject.

"Well, we managed to get info on that family for you," Wally said. He handed a printout to her. "The two adults are Kevin and Diana Selton. The little girl is their daughter, Claire."

"Claire Selton," Linda said softly, thinking. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"She organized the blood drive last week, remember?" Cutter asked. He smirked. "The one you avoided."

"Needles and I don't work well together," Linda replied, blushing. It wasn't a lie; needles broke whenever someone attempted to penetrate her skin.

"You think with all the health problems you had before coming here," Cutter said, "it wouldn't be a biggie." Linda crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "But it's okay if it is. Honest."

"Linda, you don't think that Claire had anything to do with the forest fire?" Wally asked.

"Why would I?" Linda asked. "For that matter, why would you? I mean, I don't know Claire that well, but she doesn't seem the type to be a fire starter."

Wally turned to Cutter. "Show 'em the video."

Cutter nodded and went to his computer. The others walked over and watched as Cutter brought up a video feed. "This is from the front surveillance camera at Fordman's," he explained.

"How did you get that?" Jimmy asked.

"Trade secret," Cutter replied. He pulled up the video and let it play. "You might find this interesting." Jimmy and Linda watched the video with curiosity. After a few moments they saw Claire and her mother walk onto the screen, a tall coffee cup in Claire's hand. Mother and daughter appeared happy and carefree as they headed for the doors, but then the door suddenly opened in front of Clarie; she jumped back startled, spilling her coffee onto her front. Suddenly, the mannequins in the front display window burst into flames. Jimmy and Linda watched as people started shouting and running out of the department store as the flames grew large, burning everything they touched. Cutter stopped the video, then glanced up at Jimmy and Linda. "So, what do you think?"

"I think you two are off your rockers," Jimmy replied.

"But she was there when the fire started," Wally said. "And the fire started right after she got startled."

"Just because she was there when it happened doesn't mean she started it," Linda replied. "There were other people there."

"Then why are you so interested in her?" Wally asked.

"If you must know," Linda replied. "I found a locket, and I wanted to know who it belonged to and return it to them. I didn't know who it belonged to, so I drew a sketch of the picture in it to bring to you guys."

"Why didn't you bring the locket itself?" Cutter asked.

"I didn't want to risk losing it," Linda replied. "I've been a little scatterbrained lately."

"Where is it now?" Cutter asked.

"It's safe," Linda replied. She glanced at the computer screen. "Question . . . even if Claire was responsible, what proof do you have?"

"Well, none right now," Cutter replied, "but we have a theory."

"Meteor rocks," Wally said proudly.

"Say what?" Jimmy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh?" Linda followed suit.

"Come on, Linda, you should know what we're talking about," Cutter replied. "Chloe Sullivan covered all this stuff when she was editor here – and she gave all her stuff to you."

"I know what you're talking about, Cutter," Linda said. "I just think you're crazy."

"Why?" Wally asked. "Look at all the meteor freaks that came out of the meteor shower."

"That was a long time ago," Linda replied. "And as I recall, there haven't been any in years."

"But the meteor rocks are still around," Cutter said. "And there was Coach Arnold. He had the ability to start fires, because he was -"

"Exposed to meteor rocks," Linda interrupted, smiling as she crossed her arms. "Trust me, guys, I know the story, but that doesn't mean Claire's like that."

"Well, that's what we're looking into," Wally said. "Might be nice to have a meteor freak to write about for a change."

"So, she's a freak now?" Linda asked, frowning. "Is that how it works? Anyone who's different is a freak?"

"Linda, that's not -"

"Maybe you should write about me too," Linda replied. "After all, I spent fifteen years of my life isolated from the world, so I don't know about the simplest of things. That freaky enough for you?" The young girl stormed out of the office and Jimmy hurried after her. He quickly caught up with her, but she was still in a ranting mode, so he didn't say a word as they headed out of the school to Jimmy's car. "Well, I guess that about sums it up how they'd feel about me if I told them." They got in the car, and Jimmy started the engine and left the parking lot, heading back to the farm.

"Linda, I don't think they meant it that way," Jimmy said softly.

"They want to find her to do a story on her," Linda replied. "All because she might be a fire starter. They even called her a freak."

"Okay, that I will agree with," Jimmy said. "They shouldn't have called her a freak, but I am willing to bet they aren't that cold. And, honestly, what they're doing is no different than what we all did when Clark first showed up. It's journalism, Linda."

"And I thought there was something called journalistic integrity, Jimmy."

"Yeah, well, you don't see Chloe and me writing up about you and Clark, do you?"

"No."

"Maybe Cutter and Wally won't write it up," Jimmy replied. "Just because people know the truth about someone, it doesn't mean they'll tell everyone." He paused, trying to choose his next words carefully. "Linda, can you honestly say that Claire isn't responsible? I mean, you found her locket in the fire, and she was at the store when it caught fire."

"I don't know," Linda replied honestly. As they passed by the cemetery Linda's hearing picked up the sounds of a heartbeat. She tilted her head, frowning. "Jimmy, stop the car."

Jimmy furrowed his eyebrows, but he stopped the car. "What's wrong?" he asked. Linda got out of the car and looked around. "Linda, talk to me."

"I hear a heart beating," she said. She looked at the cemetery. "From in there."

"Linda, that's a place for dead people," Jimmy replied.

"I know what a cemetery is, Jimmy," Linda said. "Maybe someone's in there."

Jimmy snorted. "A person would have to be crazy to be in a cemetery at night." He stopped short when Linda headed off into the cemetery; he sighed. "Including us." He grabbed his keys and a spare flashlight from his car and flipped it on as he hurried after Linda. He caught up with her as she trudged among the headstones. "You do realize this was not on our agenda, right? Pete's, Torch, then back to the farm."

"So, I ad-lib a little," Linda replied.

"Well, every time you ad-lib," Jimmy said, "we get into trouble." "No one's forcing you to be here," Linda countered.

"Yeah, well, I'm not letting you out of my sight," Jimmy retorted. He swiveled his flashlight from side to side. "Lot of people in here for a small town." He shined his light on a couple of headstones. "Hey, look here. Hiram and Jessica Kent."

Linda smiled slightly. "Dad's parents," she explained. "Did you know they actually met Jor-El in 1961?"

"Really?" Jimmy asked.

Linda nodded. "Apparently, he was here because his father sent him here . . . and he was a lot nicer too."

"Jor-El, nice?" Jimmy asked.

"I know," Linda said. She saw a third headstone beside her grandparents', and her smile widened. Jimmy glanced down.

"Who was Ryan Kelly?"

"He was a kid whom Clark adopted a while back," Linda said. "Clark treated him like a younger brother. He doesn't talk about him much, but he told me that Ryan had a telepathic ability, but it was caused by a tumor that eventually killed him." She touched the tombstone lightly. "Clark said it was the first time he learned that no matter how many powers he had, there were some things that even he couldn't do." She glanced around the cemetery. "You know, this is my first time here." She glanced to her and tilted her head. "Huh."

"What?" Jimmy asked.

Linda nodded. "Look."

Jimmy shone his flashlight on another tombstone. "Tina Greer, born August 4, 1986, died January 14, 2003." He whistles. "Only sixteen."

"Infected by kryptonite," Linda explained. "She was in Chloe's Wall of Weird stuff; she had the ability to shapeshift." She glanced at other headstones. "Greg Arkin, Jake Pollen, Sean Kelvin, Tyler Randall . . . there's Coach Walt Arnold. Lots of infected people." She sighed. "Poor Clark."

"What about Clark?"

"Mom and Dad told me once that Clark blamed himself for all the stuff connected to the meteor shower," Linda replied. "I can't imagine how awful that must have been for him." She hugged herself.

Jimmy reached over and put his arms around her. "I know," he said softly, "but he moved past it, didn't he?" Linda nodded. "Then there's nothing to worry about. I mean, not unless another planet explodes or something."

Linda chuckled, knowing he was trying to cheer her up, then she turned when she heard the heartbeat again. It was closer, and she looked around until her eyes feel on the lone crypt. She used her x-ray vision and saw a skeleton curled up on the floor. "Oh my gosh," she whispered. Eyes wide, she tore herself from Jimmy and ran over to the crypt. She opened the door so fast that she almost tore it off, but she stopped herself just in time. She walked inside and knelt beside the shivering form curled on the floor; Linda visually scanned for physical injuries or any kind of trauma.

Jimmy came running over and stopped just inside the crypt, shining his flashlight inside. He saw Linda kneeling next to the red-haired girl. "Who is she?" he asked.

"It's Claire Selton," Linda replied.

(End of Chapter 7)


	8. Chapter 8

(I apologize if any of the codes are right, due to stuff being deleted)

Jonathan and Martha were in the living room, reading books and drinking hot cocoa as a roaring fire lit up the room in a soft glow. They were both so immersed in their reading that they jumped when they heard the kitchen door open.

"Mom!" they heard Linda call. "Dad!" They looked over and saw Linda walking into the kitchen, carrying an unconscious red-haired teenage girl in her arms. Jimmy was holding the kitchen door open. The parents leapt to their feet and hurried over as Jimmy closed the door behind Linda.

"Linda, what happened?" Martha asked as she started looking Claire over. "Who is this?"

"Claire Selton," Linda replied. "Jimmy and I found her in the cemetery crypt."

"What were you two doing in the cemetery?" Jonathan asked. "You were supposed to come straight home."

"We were, but I heard a heartbeat in the cemetery," Linda replied. "So, we went to investigate; we found Claire."

"Why didn't you take her to the hospital?" Martha asked.

"Because she might have started the fires at Fordman's and the woods," Linda answered.

"Linda, if she started the fires, we need to bring in Pete," Jonathan replied.

"Dad, she might have been infected with kryptonite," Linda said. Both Martha and Jonathan stopped. "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but Wally and Cutter think she might have been infected, and if that's the case, then I don't want them or anyone finding out about her. I checked her out already. She's just cold and scared." She pleaded silently to her father.

Jonathan sighed. "Martha, take Claire up to Linda's bedroom and get her warmed up. I want to talk to Linda and Jimmy." Linda carefully handed Claire over to Martha, then Martha headed up the stairs. Jonathan turned to the two teens. "Okay, why do you think Claire is infected with kryptonite."

"Because the necklace that I found in the woods is hers," Linda replied.

"And when we were at the Torch," Jimmy continued, "Wally and Cutter showed us a video of Claire right before the fire started. It is possible she started the fire the same way Coach Arnold did when Clark was younger."

"Well, we haven't had any problems in years," Jonathan said. "But that doesn't mean they're going away." He put a hand on her shoulder when he saw her expression. "Linda, I'm not mad at you. We'll just call Claire's parents and let them know she's here, and we'll bring her back in the morning."

"It's not that," Linda replied.

"Then what is it, sweetie?" Jonathan asked.

"Wally and Cutter called Claire a freak," Jimmy replied.

"They wanted to write up a story about her," Linda replied. "All because she was different."

Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows, then it clicked why Linda was really upset. "Linda, just because they were excited, it doesn't mean they're bad people."

"I know," Linda replied. "But it means I'll never be able be able to tell them the truth." She sighed. "I'm going out to the loft." She headed out of the kitchen.

Jonathan turned to Jimmy. "What do you think, Jimmy?" he asked.

"About what?" Jimmy asked.

"You were there," Jonathan replied. "Do you think Wally and Cutter would really expose Claire?"

Jimmy was surprised that he was being asked for his opinion; he didn't know what to say at first, but then he shrugged. "Honestly," he said, "I'm not sure, sir. I mean, I can see their enthusiasm – it was like when Clark first showed up as Superman, and everyone was trying to find out about him. But I also don't see a story being more important than their friendship with Linda."

Jonathan nodded. "Well, I'm going to help Martha with Claire. Why don't you go out and stay with Linda?" Jimmy nodded and headed out the kitchen door. Jonathan sighed and rubbed his head before heading upstairs.

Linda sat curled up on the loft couch, a spiral notebook in her hands. She tried reading the scribblings she wrote earlier, but she found herself thinking about Wally and Cutter, and wondering where their loyalty lay – journalism or friendship. She sighed.

"You okay?"

Linda looked over and saw Jimmy standing near the loft steps. She smiled sadly. "I guess."

"You know, no matter what," Jimmy said as he came over and sat beside Linda, "you're always going to me more important to me than any story."

Linda smiled genuinely and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Thanks. That means a lot."

Jimmy smiled, then he eyed the spiral and the scribblings. "What's that?" he asked.

"Well, I got these comic books about a new character named Seraphim," Linda replied. "She's Warrior Angel's cousin, and there have been two books so far, and each one has all a couple of weird things in them. I wrote them down to try to figure them out, but no luck just yet. You ever read Seraphim?"

"Never even heard of it," Jimmy replied. "But comics aren't really my thing." He glanced at the spiral. "So, what weird things are there? Maybe I can help."

Linda held up the spiral, letting Jimmy read the scrawlings on it:

_**Yvgdvvm 37 znw 40, 94 znw 102  
Tlvzd hsruds lxxfl  
Drnv znw hkzxv cloorwv **_

_**36 vckozrmh 89 ifov gsv uozdvw wzb rh xlnrmt izl nzwv fh **_

_**Mvvi Nliirh, Irxv, znw Hvwtdrxp  
Z tlvzd uriv dioo uzoo urln gsv hpb  
Mlg gsv urihg grnv mli gsv ozhg **_

_**Lm drmth lu uoznvh  
Wvhxvmw gsv ozhg xsrowivm  
Mlmv hszoo levixlnv gsvn **_

_**Kivpziv blfihvoevh  
Gazifxs hsvnrizs szhlu  
Gsv vmw rh mvzi **_

_**- - - - **_

_**nczind ozjodcpvxvi bduv htyjidv pmmdfv rzbocjm **_

_**- - - - **_

_**zrbk,.d jz dkzsff. ujvbfajuv .ux c,.isyjdx ,s.cg ,jff,s b.i,sf **_

_**J 7s5sd 81xs 1 xjccsds74s bsds  
6hf 81g6s 8g 4bj,xds7 417  
Vkkx ,h4m ajfb gkhd chfhdsz **_

_**Bssx fbs zjv7lkzfz  
6s 7kf 1cd1jx  
7kfbj7v 417 6s 4b17vsx **_

_**qqqpritiu  
Abs7 Zk, s7fsdz fbs x1dm djcf  
Fbs z14dsx fdss aj, 4k7zh8s 1, **_

_**Fbs dh6gpsgsx z71ms  
4kj,z 17x zfdsf4bsz  
Zg86k, kc zfds7vfb 17x 4khd1vs **_

_**- - - - **_

_**rjmeiba mlb ennpmerfbq wel jmvbjj rmtlsx peglzmv relxml **_

_**D icadu fnqvg hcqo uja Pqcuj  
Nkijupkpi hcqo evcpkpi tjacat  
Xjaan xkujip d xjaan **_

_**Jqx svkfmnz qvc gihhacapfat xqvng wdpktj  
Dpg zau K dtm  
Kt pqu dp dnkap hqcga dncadgz doqpi vt? **_

_**- - - -**_

_**xakiuxuwfu euivhrkufv cvcvqulh yfuhr qudkufk gztcvz flhylf yzhzwvuh gtvez yzmvt elcztz ewzewz ilil  
wunu rusuhru yvifljlylh ghurfvbb gizxvzg uta gauvaktky **_

_**vj vg jvez gjlfeg hlj lmzf tugj dkzgj jvez jl tzumz hueuh hl euh tzumz hljavhr khjkfhzy qlk ekgj  
fzjkfh v nvtt xallgz vhjfkyzfg iuq azzy wfzuc lh jaflkra qlk nvtt lwzq azutvhr jaz fvbj **_

_**Wq jaz xfzzcgvyz  
Ztkxvyujvlh nug rfuhjzy jl ez  
Jlfmzhj nug veifvlgzy lh ez **_

_**Jaz gcq blfwlyzg jl kg  
Jaflkra ctzuf gvrhg uhy bvpzd gjufg  
Jauj jaz jvez lb vjg gkyyzh cauhrz vg uiifluxavhr **_

_**Eq tuhy nvtt gllh wz nujzfzy  
Nvja jaz wtlly lb eq wfljazfg  
Uy ugjfu izf ugizfu **_

_**U irvhxzgg nvtt xflgg jaz ilhy  
Uhy wkc glez fluyg  
Jl tvbz uhy tlmz **_

_**Vh jaz qzuf lb jaz zplykg  
U rfzuj galxc nvtt snzzi jaz azufjtuhy  
Jaz cauge nitt wz khxflgguwtz **_

_**Wltjg nvtt ivzfxz jaze wlja  
Uhy wlja nvtt wz vttkevhujzy  
Wkj lhtq lhz nvtt zezfrz zhtvrajzhzy **_

_**- - - - **_

_**Vrtsgulow hfiervlih lu gsv xlhnlh  
Fmolxph ozmtfztv zmw nbhgvivs  
Wvorevih, ivqfemzgvh, prooh **_

_**Zmhdvih droo vofwv **_

_**Fmolxop gsv hvxivgh **_

_**Hvevm ztvh vmw**_

Jimmy raised an eyebrow, whistling softly. "This was all in the comics?"

"Yeah, in various areas," Linda replied. "There were three in each comic, and I managed to group them – six groups total."

"You think they might be just there?" Jimmy asked.

"Nope," Linda answered. "I just got this feeling, that's all." She yawned.

"Look, I'll make you a deal," Jimmy said. "I'll see what I can do to help you with these things if you get some rest; you've had a busy day." He waited for her to respond, but she didn't say anything. He glanced down and saw her with her head still on his shoulder, eyes closed. Jimmy smiled and gently took the spiral from Linda's hands. Then he leaned his head against hers and began studying the scribblings.

(End of Chapter 8)


	9. Chapter 9

_**You guys are lucky - you get two chapters! Oh, and FYI - this puzzle thing is not only for the characters involved . . . you can play along - I'm putting the clues in plain sight.**_

- -

Claire stirred and opened her eyes; she soon realized she was in a pair of powder blue flannel pajamas, and laying under lavendar sheets and a matching comforter. Bright sun shone through a cozy room filled with posters of Evanescence, the Beatles, fine art prints, and animals, watercolors, and charcoal sketches. A computer desk was pushed against the far wall, along with a couple of pet beds. A large E.T. doll was near a dresser that had all kinds of ceramic trinkets, including a ten-inch tall painted porcelain statue of Superman. Claire furrowed her eyebrows as she looked around, trying to figure out what was going on, then the door slowly opened up, and Linda cautiously poked her head in. She smiled brightly.

"Hey, you're awake," she said. She came in, and Claire could see she was wearing a plaid shirt, jeans, and work boots; her hair was pulled into a ponytail. Suddenly, Krypto and Streaky bolted into the room. They scampered over to the bed and jumped on it; they began nuzzling Claire even before she knew what hit her.

"Hey, hey, what's this?" she sputtered, protecting her face from the licking.

"Krypto, Streaky, leave her alone," Linda said as she adjusted her glasses. "Now, both of you get downstairs." The pets left the bedroom, and Linda turned to Claire, smiling. "Hi, Claire."

"You're Linda Kent, right?" Claire asked. "The school mascot?"

Linda nodded. "That's me." She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "How you feeling?"

"Better, I guess," Claire replied. "How did I get here?" She sniffed the air. "And why does it smell like cows in here?"

"I just got through milking the herd," Linda answered. "And you got here when Jimmy and I brought you from the cemetery."

"Jimmy?" Clair asked.

"You'll meet him later," Linda replied. "Along with my parents, but for now -"

"I can't stay here," Claire said quickly, throwing back the sheets. She tried to get out, but Linda stopped her.

"We need to talk, Claire," she replied seriously.

"About what?" Claire asked nervously. Before Linda could answer Claire broke down, crying. "Look, I'm sorry . . . I didn't mean to start those fires. Honest."

"I know," Linda said, knowing exactly how scared Claire was. "I had a feeling you didn't."

"How . . . how did you know?" Claire asked cautiously.

"I didn't," Linda replied. "Not for sure, but Wally and Cutter got a hold of a security tape from Fordman's." Claire's eyes widened in fear. "But don't worry, they don't know you're here. They don't even know you're infected."

"Infected?" Claire asked.

"With the meteor rocks," Linda replied.

"I'm not infected," Claire said. "I was born like this . . . like a freak."

"You're not a freak, Claire."

"Linda, I start fires with my mind. That's being a freak."

"No, it's just being different," Linda said. "I understand, believe me."

"You're not different," Claire replied. "You can't start fires with your mind."

Not with my mind, anyway, Linda thought. "No, but I was isolated all my life before coming here," she said out loud. "So, that makes me different."

"But at least your parents don't want to send you away," Claire replied glumly.

Linda frowned. "What?"

"Why do you think I ran away?" Claire asked. "They don't love me." She started crying softly.

"If they didn't love you, Claire, then why were they relieved to know you were safe?" Claire looked up. "My parents talked them last night; your parents are really worried about you; they want you to come home."

"So they can send me off?" Claire asked.

"Maybe they just don't know what to do, and they panicked. Parents have a tendency to do that – I know mine do it often enough." Claire looked up as Linda put a hand on her shoulder. "Look, why don't you and I go downstairs and get some breakfast, then you and I will go back to your house, and I'll talk with your parents."

"You think you can change my parents' minds?" Claire asked.

Linda smiled. "I can be very persuasive. Now, come on, Mom's got chocolate chip pancakes waiting for us."

- -

Lex walked down the empty silver hallway to the end; a single door without a knob blocked his path, but that didn't deter him. He glanced down at the keypad near the door and quickly punched in a code. He heard the click of the door unlocking, and seconds later is slid back, allowing him access to the room – a large laboratory. A white-coated figure was studying a large vat; the vat was opaque, but Lex could still see the outline of a well-built body inside. Lex smirked.

"And how is it doing today?" the businessman asked.

Dabney Donovan straightened up and looked over at Lex. "The maturation process is almost complete."

"And the problems with the substance?"

"Dealt with," Donovan replied. "They've been remedied with electrical therapy; there shouldn't be any more disruptions from them."

"And what about the security risks?" Lex asked.

"Taken care of," Donovan replied.

"Good," Lex replied. His cellphone ran suddenly. He reached into his suit pocket and pulled it out, answering it on the second ring. "What?" He listened, then a smile spread slowly on his face. "Good . . . you know what to do next." He hung up and put his phone away, then he turned to Donovan. "I want to begin its programming as soon as possible."

"Yes, of course," Donovan said. "But we're dealing with uncharted territory; it will take time."

"I have big plans for it," Lex said as he walked over and put his hand on the opaque glass. He left it there for a few moments, then he took it off and turned to Donovan, fixing the scientist with a glare. "You have three months, Donovan." He turned and left the room. Donovan watched Lex leave, then he went back to his tests.

- -

"I really don't think this is going to work," Claire said as she got out of the back of Jimmy's car. She stared uneasily at her house as Jimmy and Linda got out as well. The Kents let the three teens go to Claire's house by themselves; Linda because she was the only person Claire trusted, and Jimmy because he had the transportation.

"Come on, Claire, have a little confidence," Linda said. "Everything will be okay." She put a hand on Claire's shoulder. "I promise." The trio headed up the walk to the front door, and Claire opened it; Linda and Jimmy followed close behind.

"Mom, Dad, I -" Claire stopped short, her eyes wide as she stared into the living room. Linda and Jimmy saw what she was staring at, and they froze. Laying on the floor, in large puddles of blood, were Claire's parents; they had been shot in the head.

"Oh, my gosh," Linda replied.

"Mom! Dad!" Claire shouted as she stared over to them, but Jimmy stopped her.

"Claire, wait," Jimmy said, holding her back as she struggled. He turned to Linda. "Call 911." He saw Linda standing, paralyzed by shock. "Linda, go!" Linda snapped from her stupor and hurried for the nearby phone. She shakily picked up the receiver, then she felt the distinct pressure of something small hard and round being pressed against her head; Linda froze.

"Drop it," a deep voice said. Linda did as she was told. "Now, turn around." Linda slowly turned around and saw a large man she didn't recognize in a dark suit pointing a gun straight at her. She glanced over at Jimmy and saw another man pointing another gun at Jimmy and Claire. "Smart girl." He turned to his partner. "Get the girl." The other man grabbed Claire.

"Let me go!" Claire shouted, struggling.

"Leave her alone!" Jimmy shouted, lunging for the man. The man backhanded Jimmy in the face with his gun; Jimmy fell to the ground, his cheek slightly split open and bleeding. The man pointed the gun down at Jimmy. "You're going to pay for that, you little punk." He started to squeeze the trigger, and Jimmy tensed, closing his eyes. Linda blurred over in front of Jimmy and threw herself on him to protect him.

"No!" Clair shouted, and immediately the gun in the guy's hand burst into flames. The guy shouted in pain and dropped the gun, clutching his hand. Suddenly, fires started popping up around the house – on the furniture, the walls, and even the ceiling.

At first, everyone was stunned, but it lasted only a few seconds. The man that held Linda at gunpoint turned his gun on Claire; he pulled the trigger.

Before the gun fired, Linda telekinetically blasted the man's hand, throwing it to the side. The gun went off, sending a stray bullet into the fireplace, rupturing the gas line. Everyone heard the loud hiss as gas started pouring out, just as flames from a nearby fire licked closer.

"It's gonna blow!" one of the men shouted. The other guy grabbed Claire and headed for the back of the house, his partner close behind him; Claire struggled, and the flames grew in intensity around Jimmy and Linda.

The entire world shifted into super slow mode as Linda formulated a plan. She got to her feet and grabbed Jimmy, just as the fire ignited the leaking gas. Linda held Jimmy tightly in a fireman's hold as she headed for the front door; she had just opened the door and took a step out when the gas exploded violently.

The force hit the young girl harder than anything she ever felt before; it threw her and Jimmy into the air, and she immediately put up a telekinetic bubble around them both, protecting them from flames and debris. They landed on the ground – hard – about fifty feet away from the house and rolled another ten feet before coming to a stop. They lay there, dazed for a few moments, then they slowly sat up. Linda knew she wasn't physically injured – just a little shook up – but she wasn't sure about Jimmy. She looked over and quickly scanned the photographer, just to make sure he had no broken bones; he didn't, but she saw, in addition to the gash on his cheek, bruises starting to form on his face.

"You okay?" she asked, trying to catch her breath.

"Yeah," Jimmy replied shakily. "You?"

"Just . . . rattled," Linda answered. She stared at the fiery inferno that used to be Claire's house, and then her eyes widened in horror. "I gotta go save them." She started to her feet, but Jimmy grabbed her wrist. "Jimmy, let me go."

"Linda, there's nothing you can do," he said.

"What if Claire's still alive?" Linda asked. "Or those two men?"

"Linda, no one could have survived that," Jimmy said.

"We did," Linda replied.

"Only because of you," Jimmy said. He slowly got to his feet, wincing, then he put a hand on Linda's shoulder. "Linda . . . I'm sorry."

Linda desperately wanted to believe that there was a chance Claire survived, but she couldn't sense anything. Tears filled her eyes, and she did her best not to cry, but she couldn't help it. Jimmy slowly pulled her to him and hugged her gently as she sobbed into his shoulder.

- -

Most of the fire was put out a couple hours later, but firefighters were still in the process of putting out the smolders as onlookers watched from behind police tape. Away from the crowd, Linda and Jimmy sat on the tailgate of the Kents' red truck, thick blankets around their shoulders. The teenagers were still dazed as they watched Martha and Jonathan talk to Pete; after a few moments Pete went back to his investigation as Martha and Jonathan came over.

"What did Pete say?" Jimmy asked.

"Well, the firefighters found three bodies near the back door," Martha replied somberly. "They haven't identified them yet, but they do think they were Claire and those two men."

"And everyone believed the story that you and Linda were able to get out of the house quicker than the others," Jonathan said. "We just left out the fact that superpowers were involved; even Pete believed it."

"It's all my fault," Linda said softly.

"Linda, no it wasn't," Jonathan said.

"I blasted the man's hand," Linda replied. "I caused him to fire and hit the gas line. I should have taken both of them out – I could have taken them both out . . . then none of this would have happened."

"Linda, you had no way of knowing this was going to happen," Martha said. "You can't blame yourself."

"I let her down," Linda replied tearfully. "I promised her that things would be okay." She wiped the tears from her face and sniffled.

"What about the two men?" Jimmy asked.

"Pete said he would look into it," Jonathan answered.

"And my mom?"

"Pete called her and explained the situation. She's relieved that you're safe, and she wants you to stay here for the rest of the day; tomorrow you can drive back – only if you're feeling better." He noticed how 'out of it' both teens looked, and he took a deep breath. "Why don't we go home?" Together, Martha and Jonathan guided the teens into the truck, and Jonathan drove away from the scene.

(End of Chapter 9)


	10. Chapter 10

- - - - 

Two days passed, and Linda found herself back at the cemetery. She had missed school on Monday and Tuesday, and even Jimmy was still around – still recovering from his injuries. The young girl knelt in front of a set of three headstones, holding a small bouquet of flowers and Claire's locket (Pete had given it back to her at the funeral), but they weren't the tombstones of Hiram, Jessica, and Ryan; they belonged to the Selton family. Linda's attention was focused on the center tombstone, Claire's. She lay the flowers and locket at the base of Claire's tombstone.

"I'm so sorry," she said softly. "Everyone keeps telling me that what happened wasn't my fault, but it's hard to believe them when I feel that there was more I could have done." She sighed. "I wasn't completely honest with you, Claire; I know what it's like to be different, because . . . well, we were a lot alike. I have abilities too, but I didn't tell you about them, because I was scared. I was cared that people would think I was a freak, and that they'd hate me and send me off – just like you said your parents. Maybe . . . maybe if I hadn't been so scared . . . you'd still be alive." She just stayed there for a few minutes, just contemplating everything, when she heard the sound of two people approaching. She turned and saw Wally and Cutter approaching, and she tensed.

"What do you two want?" she asked as she got to her feet, a slight edge in her voice.

"To apologize," Cutter said.

"For?" Linda asked.

"For how we were in the Torch earlier," Wally said. "We were wrong . . . about a lot of things."

Cutter sighed. "Linda, we shouldn't have called Claire a freak, and we didn't mean to be so enthusiastic about the possibility of some weirdness being back in Smallville."

"I understand why you got excited," Linda said. "It just . . . hurt, knowing that you feel a story is more important than a person."

"That's not true," Wally replied. "No story is ever going to be more important than a person. And that includes you."

"Me?" Linda asked.

"Yeah, you're different than us, too," Cutter answered. Linda furrowed her eyebrows. "You know, being homeschooled and all."

"Oh," Linda replied, nodding. "You know, this is why Chloe gave up the Wall of Weird; she finally realized that all the weirdness in Smallville was nowhere near as important as people's lives."

"And that's the same with us," Wally said. "Always has been."

"And always will be," Cutter added, putting a hand on Linda's shoulder. "Honest."

Linda listened to her friends, and she could feel the sincerity in their voices. It was as if a tremendous weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and she smiled, relieved that her doubts about her friends' loyalties were unfounded. "Thanks guys," she said. "That really means a lot." They smiled in return, then Linda glanced back at Claire's tomb; her smile faded. "Guys, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure," Cutter said.

"If I give you descriptions of the two men in the Selton's house, could you find out who they are?"

Wally sighed. "Linda, I'm sure you did everything you could."

"I promised her that everything would be okay," Linda said. "I think after all that's happened, I feel like I owe her to find out the truth." The boys hesitated. "Guys, the people responsible for what happened to Claire and her parents need to be brought to justice, and we can do that by finding the truth and writing it up."

Cutter smiled a little. "Amazing," he said. "Even after her vehement attempts to avoid journalism, it still shines through. Who knows? There might be some journalism genes hiding behind those baby blues after all."

Linda smiled. "I doubt it. The last thing I want to be is like Clark."

"I have a strong feeling you're going to be more like Clark than you think," Wally said.

"Really?" Linda asked. "Why do you think that?"

"Well, because you come from the same family," Cutter answered. "You know, Mr. and Mrs. Kent adopted and raised Clark – and look how he turned out. I think it's safe to say you'll end up the same way . . . eventually."

"Maybe," Linda replied slowly.

Cutter put an arm around her shoulder. "You gonna to be okay?"

Linda shrugged. "I guess."

Cutter kissed her cheek. Wally patted her shoulder, and then they both left the young girl standing in front of the headstone. Linda looked back at the tombstone, then she slowly walked around the cemetery, looking at the other tombstones. She stopped in front of Hiram, Jessica, and Ryan's tombstones. She stared at them for the longest time.

"Out of all the people here," she said softly, "you three are the ones I really wish I could have known."

"I know how you feel, Linda." Linda turned when she heard the familiar voice and saw Clark walking over; Bruce walked beside him, carrying a small box. Bruce stayed back as Clark walked over next to his cousin and hugged her. "You okay, kiddo?"

"Yeah, I guess," Linda replied. "I just keep wondering if there was something more I could have done for Claire."

"I know you did everything you could," Clark said. "And I know how hard it is to believe that sometimes."

"How long did it take for you?" Linda asked.

"It took some time," Clark replied. He kept one arm around Linda's shoulders. "It's okay to grieve, Linda . . . but don't punish yourself. I learned a long time ago that even with all my powers, all the incredible things I can do . . . I'm still only one person; I can't do everything."

"Does it stop you from trying?" Linda asked.

"Not really," Clark replied. He grinned and glanced down; Linda smiled a bit. He kissed her cheek. "You know, Linda, he would have really liked having you for a sister."

Linda looked confused, then Clark nodded at Ryan's tombstone. "Why do you say that?" she asked.

Clark smiled. Because I already do."

Linda smiled, then she glanced at Bruce. "So, why are you here, Bruce?"

"I have something that belongs to you," Bruce replied, walking over. He handed her the small box. "Came in the mail yesterday."

Linda furrowed her eyebrows as she opened the box. She saw a familiar object nestled delicately inside. "Oh my gosh," she whispered. "It's . . . it's the parchment paper."

"Bruce told me about it," Clark said. He glanced at the paper. "So, it's from Mexico, huh?"

"Yep," Linda replied. She read the Kryptonian symbols around the edges of the paper for a few moments. "Huh."

"What is it?" Clark asked.

"Well, there are Latin words right here," Linda said, pointing to a set of symbols. "'Caelum videre.'" She thought for a moment. "The sky and look."

"It's Ovid," Bruce said. Linda looked up, furrowing his eyebrows. "He wrote an epic poem called Metamorphosis, and that line is from it. The full line is 'He bid them look at the sky and lift their faces to the stars,' or 'Man looks aloft, and with erected eyes beholds his own hereditary skies,' depending on which version you decide to use."

"What was it about?" Linda asked.

"You want me to give you a synopsis of Metamorphosis here?" Bruce asked, folding his arms.

"Either than or I could probe," Linda replied.

Bruce scowled. "It deals with the creation and history of Earth in terms of Greek and Roman mythology."

"And the main theme from the poem is transformation," Clark added. "And it's missing two word: 'iussit' and 'et.'" Linda and Bruce looked at him. "College World Lit class."

"But what does this have to do with us?" Linda asked.

"I would hazard because of its connection to Prometheus," Bruce said.

Linda furrowed her eyebrows. "I remember reading about him when we studied Greek Mythology. He brought fire and sacrifice from the gods and gave them to humanity; some considered him to be the patron of humanity."

"And that would make sense," Bruce replied. "Clark is seen as a savior – in a way. And you also seem to have a knack for wanting to help others."

"But I'm not a savior," Linda replied.

"There are many kinds of saviors, Linda," Clark said. "And you, apparently are a keeper of truth, law and universal order." Linda didn't look convinced, and Clark put an arm around her shoulders. "Look, don't worry too much about this." He saw three groups of other symbols on the parchment. "What do those symbols say?"

Linda studied the three groups, then she frowned. "'Nzhhrev xslmloltrxzo vevmg.' 'Tlwh znlmt nvm.' 'Rmerhryov yvxlnvh erhryov.' What the -" She sighed. "More codes?"

"More?" Clark asked.

"I found similar codes in my Seraphim comics," Linda replied.

Clark frowned. "Really?" he asked. "Are you sure?"

Linda nodded. "What's wrong, Clark?"

"Something's not right," Clark replied. "We need to find out who's been sending those comics to you." He looked at Bruce. "Bruce?" Bruce pulled out his cell phone.

"Excuse me?" Everyone turned and saw a delivery man approaching, carrying a small mailing envelope. Linda quickly put the cover back on the box. "I'm looking for Linda Kent."

"That's me," Linda said.

"I have a package for you," the man said. He held out a clipboard for her to sign.

"How did you know she was here?" Clark asked as Linda signed her name.

"Went by her house," the man said. "Her parents said she'd be here. Had to have her signature for this, so I came here." He handed the small envelope to her. "Thank you." He left as Linda looked at the envelope.

"No return address," she said. She switched her vision to examine it further. "Nothing inside but a card." She opened the envelope and pulled out a black card. White snowflakes bordered the edges, and there was a simple message in bold white letters:

**www. popularfront. com**

**#1066137  
#1066153  
#1066170  
#1066187  
#1069661**

Linda furrowed her eyebrows. "What in the world?" she asked. Bruce and Clark looked at it.

Bruce pulled out a small PDA and pressed a button, connecting him with the Batcave computer. Dick's face came on the screen.

"What's up, Bruce?" Dick asked.

"I need you to do something for me," Bruce said.

"Sure," Dick replied.

"Linda received a black card with lots of white snowflakes bordering the edges," Bruce said. "There's also a website - – and a list of numbers." Bruce typed on the PDA. "I'm sending you the numbers. See if you can find them, and contact me with the results."

"Sure thing," Dick replied. Bruce tucked his PDA back into his pocket.

"Maybe we should get back to the house," Clark said. The trio headed out of the cemetery to Bruce's car. They got in – Linda in the back, Bruce at the wheel, and Clark in the front passenger's seat – and Bruce drove off. After a few minutes his PDA's alarm sounded. Bruce pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the screen. The message read 'Found the info, attached them. – D.'

"That was quick," Bruce said, smiling proudly. He handed the PDA to Clark. "Here you go, Kent."

Clark took the PDA and opened the attachments. He studied them for a bit, then he smiled knowingly. "That's clever."

"What?" Linda asked. Clark handed the PDA to Linda, and she peered at the screen, studying the attachments. Slowly, a smile spread across her face. "Wow . . . but how?"

"Some things I've learned never to question," Clark replied. "And now the name Veritas makes sense now." He glanced back at his cousin. "And I don't feel too paranoid now that we know who's sending them."

"So, I can still do this?" Linda asked.

"Just keep me posted," Clark answered.

Linda grinned. "Deal!" She leaned back against the seat, glad that some of this puzzle was starting to make sense.

"Oh, one thing I forgot," Bruce said as they pulled into the Kent Farm drive. "I managed to locate the water element, Linda."

"Really?" Linda asked. "What is it? Where is it?"

"Clark told me that you're familiar with the city of Atlantis," Bruce replied. "You ever heard of the Ring of Atlantis?"

"No, I haven't," Linda replied. "What is it?"

"It's a ring that was discovered in 1860 in Luxor, Egypt, by Pierre Marquis d'Angrain," Bruce replied. "According to history, it was 5,000 years old, created from dark sandstone in the Aswan quarries, and thought to have been made in Atlantis."

"Okay," Linda said slowly. "I don't mean to sound rude, but so what?"

"Well, it was worn by Howard Carter when he excavated King Tut Ankh Amon's tomb in 1922. Out of the 18 people who went in, he was the only who survived, and he admitted that the ring protected him. Later on, another archeologist, Arnold de Bélizal examined the ring, and discovered it had an energy around it that seemed to have protective healing powers and increased the wearer's telepathic capabilities."

"You think this could be connected with the Kryptonians?" Clark asked.

"Well, I did spot the Kryptonian water symbol on one side of the ring," Bruce replied wryly, "so I'm going to take a stab and say yes. It was passed down until it came in to André de Bélizal's possession, and it's been in his family since. The current owner lives in France."

"Okay, so how are we going to get it?" Linda asked.

"Not sure yet," Bruce replied. "First, I have to find it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clark asked.

"The ring was stolen two days ago," Bruce said.

- -

Lex rode the LexCorp elevator up. After a few moments it stopped on Floor 33.1. The doors opened and Lex walked into a large room. It was sterile and cold but brightly lit, filled with all kinds of equipment and doors leading to observation rooms, with one way mirrors, allowing outsiders to look in but preventing anyone inside from looking out.

The businessman walked over to one of the mirrors and looked inside. He watched the red-haired teenager sitting in a chair in the center of the room. There were computers all around her, and wires were hooked to the top of her head; an IV bag full of yellow-green fluid was hooked to her arm. She was awake, but she looked around in a drugged stupor. After a few minutes Lex walked to the door and opened it slowly. He entered and closed the door, smiling warmly at the young as she groggily looked up at him.

"Where . . . am . . . I?" she asked softly.

"You're safe, Claire," Lex answered.

"What happened?" Claire asked. "The fire . . . explosion."

"You were the only survivor, Claire," Lex said somberly.

"Even . . . Linda?"

"I'm afraid so," Lex said.

"My fault," Claire whispered, tears forming in her eyes. "I killed them all."

"Only because you couldn't control your power, Claire," Lex replied.

"You know about me?" Claire asked.

"You're not the first person to come from Smallville and be infected by the meteor rocks," Lex said.

"But I wasn't infected," Claire replied.

"Really?" Lex replied, intrigued. "Well, I'll be sure to keep that in mind while we run your tests."

"Tests?"

"I know that you're scared because you can't control your gift," Lex said, "and you think everyone will be scared and hate you because you're different, but if you let me help you I will personally guarantee that by the time you're done the world will respect you."

"You'll help me control my power?" Claire asked.

"Yes," Lex replied, holding out his hand. "Trust me." Claire glanced at the hand, and she hesitated for a moment before slowly reaching out and taking it. Lex smiled. "Good girl."

THE END


End file.
